Report: Tom Brady May Reunite with Bill Belichick in New England
No one quite knows what will happen with Tom Brady following the 2023 NFL season. His contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is up following the season and Brady, for only the second time in his illustrious career, will be a free agent. The questions surrounding Brady are whether he will decide to retire, return to the Buccaneers or decide he wants to move on and play for a third team.
With the Bucs struggling this season on offense, after the retirement of head coach Bruce Arians, it would take a lot of convincing for Brady to re-sign. The offense has been putrid, with many of the same weapons they have had as a Super Bowl-contending team, but it is just not cutting it as the team continues to struggle to consistently move the ball and put points up on the scoreboard. If the Bucs can guarantee to Brady that they will do whatever it takes to give it one more go he may just take another look at them.
READ MORE: Tom Brady: Exploring His Options Beyond This Season
At this point, it seems that Brady could be looking elsewhere to continue his career rather than retire. One of the more talked about teams in this scenario is the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, they have Jimmy G and up-and-coming star Trey Lance, but the 49ers have shown that they have interest in trading Jimmy G and Lance would be coming off a serious knee injury. If Lance isn't ready and Brady is interested to play for another year or two, San Francisco seems like the best landing spot considering the amount of talent they have on both sides of the ball.
However, there is a team out there that some believe could be a wild card in the Tom Brady 2023 off-season saga.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Brady could make a return to his former team and old head coach, The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick.
"Brady and Bill Belichick still have an abundance of respect for one another. They've made points to say it publicly on multiple occasions since the QB departed for Tampa. They also spent 23 minutes together in the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium following Brady's return in 2021 - an appointment they set up prior to the game."
"The Patriots are slated to have more than $50 million in cap space in 2023, so they can again address their flaws, this time on the heels of a couple impressive draft classes."
Howe also explains that the issues won't be centered around either Belichick or Brady's pride or ego before expressing that Brady would have to know the offense would be in capable hands and someone he trusts coordinating the offense.
READ MORE: Arrest Warrant Issued in Tampa for Antonio Brown
The Patriots, on the other hand, would need to know straight up how long Brady is deciding on continuing his career before making a move. They also have two young quarterbacks in Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe who have shown promise in their young careers.
Per Howe, " Realistically, the Patriots wouldn't even need to trade Mac Jones, whose rookie contract runs through 2024 plus the fifth-year option in 2025. While they certainly could - and as is the case with many starting quarters, they'd start the trade conversations with the hopes of recouping a first-round pick - there'd be loads of value in Jones learning from Brady.
By any means, this scenario is a long shot. But, with Brady's options limited, it can never be ruled out that he would want to return to New England where his career started to end it.
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