Brady Sidesteps Dolphins Question

If Tom Brady is doing any sort of interview, chances he's going to be asked about whether he's definitely retired.

And if that interview takes place in South Florida, well, he's definitely going to be asked about the possibility of playing for the Miami Dolphins.

This is what we have going on with a social media where Brady is making an appearance at an event in Miami, where he was asked the obligatory question about the chances of him coming out of retirement and playing for the Dolphins.

And in typical Brady fashion, he sidesteps the question with the same efficiency he avoided pass rushers in the pocket for his 23 NFL seasons.

"Oh man," Brady said. "I will say, now that I'm not affiliated with any team anymore, I had strong ties with a couple of teams. I do have some friends on the Dolphins that I really like. I wouldn't say I necessarily root for them all the time. But I root for my friends to do well and several of them play for Miami."

While speaking in Miami, Tom Brady was asked if he is going to come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins: pic.twitter.com/LxTHjcevrm
— Brendan Kaminsky (@BKaminsky) April 20, 2023

Notice that Brady never said the one thing that would stop all those questions, and that's to forcefully repeat that he's done playing and not coming out of retirement.

But maybe Brady doesn't want to close the door entirely.

THE BRADY-DOLPHINS CONNECTION

The video is going to annoy a portion of Dolphins fans who want the Brady talk to end once and for all and who want all the focus to be on Tua Tagovailoa, and there's merit to that.

But this is Tom Brady we're talking about, and it's not as though the Dolphins already haven't entertained the idea of signing him. Or have already forgotten that the reason the Dolphins don't have a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft next week is that they were found guilty of tampering with Brady — as well as coach Sean Payton — while he was under contract with Tampa Bay.

So, yes, this is noteworthy.

And it's noteworthy because Brady doesn't shut the door on playing again in the NFL.

No, the Dolphins aren't going to sign Brady next week or next month, but they also know he's right down the road should something happen to Tagovaila in training camp, in the preseason, in the regular season.

But don't the Dolphins already have a backup in newly signed Mike White? Sure, but they also had a backup in 2017 when the need for a starter emerged.

THE JAY CUTLER PRECEDENT FOR THE DOLPHINS

In the summer of 2017, the Dolphins had a perfectly fine backup quarterback in Matt Moore when Ryan Tannehill sustained a torn ACL in one of the first practices of training camp.

But that's not the direction the Dolphins took; instead, Adam Gase reached out to his former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who put aside his new TV career — he had signed a deal to call games for FOX — and signed with the Dolphins.

Ironically, Brady also has a job waiting for him at FOX, though he's not set to start with the network until 2024.

The radical move didn't pan out for the Dolphins in 2017 because Cutler struggled, but the 2023 roster is much, much better and Brady also is better than Cutler — yes, even at age 45.

In a best-case scenario for the Dolphins, Brady's name never comes up in 2023 in connection to a role with the team because Tagovailoa stays healthy and had a big year.

But should the need arise, it would be naive to think that Brady isn't a possibility for Miami and he did nothing with his vague answer to shoot down that idea.