Subscribe
Follow Us
Could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers really sign Tom Brady?
It sounds crazy for a team that has not made the playoffs in 12 years to think that it even has a shot at bringing in the greatest quarterback of all-time, but nevertheless, the Buccaneers appear to be in the running.
Tampa Bay has long been mentioned as one of the clubs that has a chance of prying Brady away from the New England Patriots in free agency, and while it might still be a long shot, it's a shot, nonetheless.
So, just what do the Bucs have to do to convince Brady to head down to west Florida?
Well, the first thing the Buccaneers should try and sell Brady on is the weapons that they have.
Tampa Bay has one of the more tantalizing wide receiver duos in football in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and young tight end O.J. Howard is an intriguing talent even if he had a rather disappointing 2019.
Heck, even running back Ronald Jones flashed some potential near the end of this past season.
Not only that, but the Bucs actually have a pretty solid offensive line, with Pro Football Focus ranking the unit seventh in the NFL this past year.
Let me just say this as flatly as possible: the Buccaneers have stronger weapons than the Patriots at the moment, and it's not even particularly close.
Article Continues Below
Yes, New England has a full offseason to add some pieces, but while the Pats need to bring in some guys to help Brady, Tampa Bay already has those players on its roster.
As a matter of fact, a legitimate argument can be made that the Bucs have better weapons than any of the teams involved in the Brady sweepstakes. The Los Angeles Chargers may have something to say about that with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry and Austin Ekeler, but it's debatable.
Clearly, Tom Brady wants some better targets to throw to after spending 2019 trying to hit guys like Phillip Dorsett, Matt LaCosse and Ben Watson. Outside of Julian Edelman, the Patriots didn't have a single reliable pass-catcher, which suppressed Brady's numbers and unquestionably frustrated him.
But the Buccaneers? They already have a strong group of receivers built in, and let's keep in mind that even New England's offensive line was rather shaky at certain points of this past season. Overall, it was solid, but it wasn't as good as in years past, and Tampa Bay's may very well have been better.
Also, Bruce Arians is a veteran coach and a likeable guy and seems like someone that Brady would respect. No, he isn't Bill Belichick, but hey; in a way, that might be a good thing, because Brady's relationship with Belichick is, uh, an intriguing one, to say the least.
Finally, the Bucs have a ton of cap room and may actually be able to add some more pieces this offseason. Obviously, a big chunk of that would have to to Brady and re-signing Shaq Barrett, but there should be some money left over for other moves.
Let's be honest: Brady probably won't pick the Buccaneers, but that doesn't mean they can't make a compelling argument for Tom Brady to join them.
