The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the biggest splash in 2020 NFL free agency, landing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, ripping apart the lifelong New England Patriots signal-caller from his iconic franchise. Even after the unofficial signing, the Patriots are still favored to win more games in the fall than the Buccaneers.
In their head-to-head matchup, per BetOnline, the Patriots' number of wins next season are favored -130 over the Buccaneers (Tampa Bay's season wins odds in the matchup are only +110).
There are still parts of the Patriots that are formidable, plus, of course, legendary head coach Bill Belichick still in charge of the disciplined group. The Bucs, meanwhile, besides Tom Brady under center, might have an explosive offense underway, with star wide receiver Mike Evans on board and emerging star wideout Chris Godwin having his breakout season in 2019.
At the quarterback position, however, New England's current depth chart looks like veteran journeyman signal-caller Cody Kessler and rising sophomore gunslinger Jarrett Stidham who, after the Patriots selected him in the fourth round of last year's draft class, only appeared in three games in his first season, throwing the ball four times for two completions and 14 yards and an interception.
It's difficult to imagine the Patriots operating without Brady under center, has he had done for 20 storied seasons, including 18 AFC East division titles and six historic Super Bowl titles.
At the same time, teams don't win 11, 12-plus regular-season games and hoist up the Lombardi Trophy with the players on paper—it takes on-field chemistry and practice to see how they do, given the offseason adjustments for the Buccaneers.
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