Report: Tom Brady Was Close to Joining Buccaneers Rival
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Surely the title of this article would make any fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cringe.
The rivalry between the Bucs and Saints has risen to new heights since Tom Brady joined the Bucs prior to the 2020 NFL season. Since then, the Saints have had the Bucs number in the regular season, with the Bucs winning the one game that mattered most, in the playoffs.
Of course I'm referring to the 2020 NFC Divisional Round Game in New Orleans that sent the Bucs onto the NFC Championship vs. the Green Bay Packers, where they would eventually go on to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on their home field, after a dominating victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The 2021 season saw the Saints dominate the Buccaneers in both regular season matchups – despite Drew Brees having retired – which has only fuelled the fire in terms of the smack talk and rivalry that exists between these two teams, and their respective fanbases.
A recent report provided by ESPN's Jeff Darlington during an appearance on the ESPN Daily podcast, has since re-ignited that flame. Darlington claims that Tom Brady most likely would have joined the New Orleans Saints over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, had Drew Brees decided to retire a year earlier than he did.
"I have to take you back to a time when Tom Brady had decided that he was leaving the New England Patriots, and the Tampa Bay Bucs were absolutely at the top of his list. But so too were another team, and that was the New Orleans Saints coached by Sean Payton. I don't think people give it credit enough how close Tom Brady was to playing with Sean Payton in New Orleans.
"Had Drew Brees ended up as the 'Monday Night Football' analyst at our network, Tom Brady would have ended up with the Saints... At one point, Brees walked into Sean Payton's office and said, 'I'm done, I'm retired.' So, it was so close to Tom Brady ending up with the Saints and Sean Payton."
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There's a lot to unpack here.
Based on Darlington's reputation as a very credible reporter, with legitimate sources all over the league, it's surprising that this is the first we've heard of Brady seriously considering the Saints as an option – especially since he ended up signing with the Bucs.
So just when you thought the Saints-Bucs rivalry couldn't get any juicier, Jeff Darlington goes ahead and drops this bomb on us.
No need for Bucs fans to get too worked up though, as chances are they've gotten used to these reports related to Tom Brady's intentions whether in the past, or for the future.
The fact remains, Tom Brady is a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And at 45 years of age, it's highly unlikely that he will ever take a snap for another NFL franchise – including the Saints – after his time with the Bucs officially comes to a close.
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