Tom Brady

Chargers, Colts, Raiders Meet With Tom Brady’s Camp

February 27th, 2020 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The biggest domino on the quarterback free agent market continues to move into position. Tom Brady‘s representation met with the Chargers, Raiders and Colts on Thursday at the Combine, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Teams are not permitted to negotiate during these meetings, as they are before the legal tampering period. But the Brady market continues to take shape. While this year’s tampering period will not commence until March 16, the Patriots may view these late-February meetings as a key part of the Brady process.

Brady leaving New England is starting to look like an increasingly live proposition, but other teams discussing the future Hall of Fame quarterback will help the Patriots know what they’re up against. No Pats negotiations are on tap yet, however.

The Chargers and Raiders have been linked to Brady for weeks; the Colts are a new team in the Brady mix. But many around the league view Philip Rivers as the likelier Indianapolis get. With former Chargers offensive staffers Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni in command of the Colts’ attack, the team is interested in Rivers. But Brady is now on Indy’s radar too.

Despite being four years older, Brady finished ahead of Rivers in 2019 QBR (16th to 23rd) and is obviously the more accomplished player. But the Brady market looks to be more aggressive than the one forming for Rivers. The Colts were in the AFC divisional round in 2018; they would be an intriguing team for Brady, who wants to land in a competitive situation.

At the week’s outset, Jim Irsay said everything was on the table regarding the Colts’ quarterback situation. Ex-Brady backup Jacoby Brissett is penciled in as the starter, but it’s looking more and more likely he will not be back as Indianapolis’ QB1 by September.

The Patriots are in the position of needing to upgrade at the skill positions — potentially in order to convince Brady to stay — while uncertain of their cap space. The CBA also looms over this situation, considering the Pats’ 2019 Brady deal attached void years onto the passer’s contract and would tag the team with $13.5MM in dead money March 18. That cap hit cannot be spread out unless a new CBA is agreed to in the meantime.

Tom Brady Planning To Leave Patriots?

February 27th, 2020 at 11:34am CST by Rory Parks

The Tom Brady rumor mill keeps on churning. Per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Brady has told those close to him that he believes he will leave the Patriots when free agency opens next month.

Darlington’s sources also say that New England will still have an opportunity to make its pitch to Brady, but the 42-year-old passer is currently looking at his potential options with the mindset that he will walk away from the only NFL team that he has ever known. If that happens, it would bring an end to the most prolific dynasty in league history.

A meeting between Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has not yet been scheduled, Darlington hears. For what it’s worth, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe says that Belichick does not see much sense in talking to the future Hall of Famer until he knows if a new collective bargaining agreement will be ratified (Twitter link). The proposed CBA has been sent to league players for a vote, but the final tally is not expected until early March. That would still give the Pats enough time to sit down with Brady before the legal tampering window opens on March 16, but Brady may have his mind made up by them (after all, agents and teams frequently have back channel discussions well in advance of the tampering period).

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says league-wide interest Brady — who is seen as the linchpin of the QB market — is substantial (Twitter link). La Canfora hears Brady’s age is not seen as a deterrent, and plenty of owners are interested in his on-field and off-field value. JLC also says that Brady is willing to listen to any team with a plan for winning in 2020.

The Chargers, Raiders, and Buccaneers have been definitively linked to Brady, though there are surely other teams who would be happy to at least kick the tires. And if Brady does depart Foxborough, the Pats could target Andy Dalton as a potential replacement.

Buccaneers Interested In Tom Brady?

February 23rd, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Rory Parks

He may be 42, but Tom Brady is the linchpin of this year’s quarterback market, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. Volin says he recently spoke with a source closely connected to a QB (not Brady) who is eligible for free agency, and the source said that every team who is looking for a signal-caller wants to know what Brady is doing before moving on to other options.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that every QB-needy team is interested in Brady, but he is in high demand. And the same source indicated that three teams continue to get mentioned in connection with the six-time Super Bowl champ: the Chargers, the Raiders, and the Buccaneers.

The Chargers’ and Raiders’ interest in Brady has been well-documented, but the rumored Buccaneers interest is a new development. Of course, Tampa Bay has plenty of talent at the skill positions and a highly-respected head coach in Bruce Arians, so there is some logic to a Bucs-Brady partnership.

On the other hand, Tampa does not seem to be one aging QB away from a Super Bowl, so it may be looking for more of a long-term fix. The team is reportedly considering a two-year pact for Jekyll-and-Hyde passer Jameis Winston, and on the surface, it still feels like the Patriots or Chargers are the front-runners for Brady’s services.

Indeed, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots remain the favorites, because the culture Brady has helped create in New England over the past 20 years is meaningful to him and it may be hard for him to walk away if the Pats come to him with emotion and the sincere intention of re-signing him. ESPN NFL Insider Jeff Darlington recently said Brady likes the idea of perhaps going to a different organization and helping to create a similar culture there — which could help the Bucs if they do pursue Brady — but according to Reiss, those intangible considerations could slant even more heavily in New England’s favor.

In any event, Volin says Brady is relishing his status as the top free agent on the market and his newfound leverage in negotiations with the Patriots, which are expected to begin during or immediately after the upcoming Combine. If the Patriots are inclined to add voidable years to a new deal for Brady like they did last August, they cannot do so unless a new CBA is agreed upon in short order. As Reiss points out, teams cannot use voidable years in the final year of a collective bargaining agreement.

Latest On Patriots’ QB Situation

February 17th, 2020 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not much has transpired on the Patriots side of the Tom Brady free agency rumor cycle, but a negotiation timetable has surfaced. The Pats are not expected to discuss a new deal for Brady for multiple weeks, Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston notes, adding that this likely corresponds with the Combine.

The annual scouting showcase/tampering bonanza will give the parties a better indication as to what the future Hall of Famer’s market looks like. The Raiders and Chargers have been the teams most linked to Brady, with the Titans perhaps in play as well. New England, however, is not especially concerned with other teams’ pitches to Brady, per Curran. Their primary objective will be attempting to assemble a better skill-position corps to entice Brady, it appears.

A key part of the Pats’ agenda will be upgrading at tight end after essentially punting on a Rob Gronkowski replacement last year. Acquiring pass-catching help will be a primary Pats goal, Curran notes, adding that Brady is less concerned with other teams’ financial pitches than he is with their roster talent. Austin Hooper, Eric Ebron and Hunter Henry are the top young tight ends available. Though, Henry looms as a possible Chargers tag candidate — which would also factor into the Bolts’ prospective Brady pitch.

As for the scenario where Brady does defect to another team: some around the league view New England as a fit for Andy Dalton, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). The Dalton speculation has surfaced at times this offseason, with NBC Sports’ Peter King viewing a post-Brady partnership between the 32-year-old quarterback and the Patriots as one that would potentially be mutually beneficial.

Dalton is entering his contract year (on a $17.5MM salary), and the Bengals are set to work with their nine-year starter on a trade. Should a Brady departure put this scenario into play, the Pats do not have a second-round pick but may hold three third-rounders because of Trey Flowers‘ and Trent Brown‘s departures in free agency. These late-Day 2 picks could also come in handy for potential trades for tight end or wideout upgrades.

Poll: Who Is The Best Unrestricted Free Agent QB This Offseason?

February 12th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Marc Delucchi

As teams gear up for an offseason of roster maneuvering, teams are beginning to the arduous process of lining up their salary caps to retain key players on expiring contracts, sign free agents, and their draft picks. Teams are forced to make especially difficult salary-cap decisions when they have a chance at an elite player through free agency.

While many of the top players currently set for free agency will surely sign an extension with their current team or receive either the franchise or transition tag, it is always a fun exercise to examine who is currently the best player set to be available through unrestricted free agency.

It’s no secret that this year’s offseason will be dominated by quarterback storylines. Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Teddy Bridgewater are all set to be unrestricted free agents and had success as starters last season. Yet, none of them have the pedigree of future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the combination of youth and sustained success like Dak Prescott, or match the recent performance of Ryan Tannehill.

Brady has obviously asserted himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time over his Patriots career, but he will be 43 before the start of next season and looked abnormally average at the close of this season. New England finished the season with back-to-back losses to finish out the regular season (against the 5-11 Dolphins) and in the first round of the playoffs (at home against the Titans).

Brady played a role in both losses, completing just 36 of his 66 attempts (good for a 54.5% completion percentage) for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, Brady amassed over 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season and produced his best touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 to 8) since 2017.

Brees is in a similar boat. He’ll be 41 next season, but just led the league in completion percentage for the third consecutive season and posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. With that said, the Saints did not look much different in the 5 games Brees missed early in the season with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.

Prescott has been surrounded by the hoopla of quarterbacking America’s Team, but the Cowboys signal-caller has taken consistent strides under the bright lights. At just 26 last season, Prescott fell just 98 yards shy of reaching the 5000-yard mark. He set a career-high with 30 touchdown throws and even while throwing a career-high 596 attempts, was sacked a career-low 23 times.

Of course, unlike Brees and Brady, Prescott has yet to reach the historic status they both already have. In fact, Prescott has yet to play in a conference championship game. Furthermore, his career year this season came while Dallas struggled to an 8-8 record in a wide-open NFC East. Does he deserve credit for performing despite a difficult surrounding, or was he responsible for the team’s struggles?

Finally, one of the most interesting stories of the season surrounded the quarterback position in Tennessee. Many around the league scoffed when the Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. It seemed like they were just replacing one disappointing quarterback with another. However, the once highly regarded prospect led the Titans to a 7-3 surge to close the regular season, upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs, and almost upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Tannehill threw for 2742 yards in just 10 regular season starts, throwing 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6) and quarterback rating (117.5) while helping young wideout A.J. Brown emerge as one of the best receivers in football. However, it’s fair to wonder how much of Tannehill’s success was a side-effect of a fantastic run game (led by Derrick Henry) and his receivers (like Brown). With the shortest resume of the group, Tannehill surely represents the largest risk but may have one of the highest rewards.

With all that said, what do you think? Who is the best unrestricted free agent quarterback this offseason? Submit your answer in the poll below and voice in your opinion in the comments.

Latest On Patriots, Tom Brady

February 12th, 2020 at 8:13am CST by Zachary Links

With roughly one month before the start of the new league year, Tom Brady still seems on course for free agency. As of late last week, the Patriots and Brady have yet to engage in contract talks, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss reports.

[POLL: Who Will Tom Brady Play For In 2020?]

That shouldn’t necessarily be cause for panic among Patriots fans. Brady has been upfront and clear about his intentions for months – he plans to test the waters and chat with interested teams in March before signing his next deal.

Brady, at this point, has all of the power for obvious and contractual reasons. If Brady is not on the Patriots’ roster on March 18th, the Patriots will be hit with a $13.5MM cap charge thanks to the structure of his deal. Ideally, the Patriots would like to extend Brady before that point to solidify their plans and smooth out the fiscal impact. Right now, the Pats are projected to have $29MM in cap space.

For what it’s worth, Brady’s buddy and former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis believes that the QB will prioritize winning over money.

“I texted him when they picked the top 100 … and said ‘Congrats.’ He said ‘For what?’ I said for being part of the top 100 and then on top of it, [some in the media] picked you to be the starter. He goes, ‘You know the only thing I’m worrying about is a ring,’” Weis told SiriusXM recently. “That kind of sums it up. He wants to win another championship. That’s why he’s still playing. He wouldn’t play for money at this point.”

The Chargers and Raiders have been heavily connected to Brady, but the future Hall of Famer figures to have a long list of suitors in March. The Titans, for example, could throw their hat in the ring if they are unable to find middle ground with free agent Ryan Tannehill.

Poll: Who Will Tom Brady Play For In 2020?

February 9th, 2020 at 10:05am CST by Rory Parks

As expected, Tom Brady‘s name has become a mainstay in NFL headlines as we creep closer to the opening of free agency in March. Even as the 2019 season was in progress, his future in the league was often discussed, and several teams were rumored as potential landing spots if he should continue his playing career and elect to leave the Patriots.

And while Brady put an end to any retirement drama immediately after New England’s ouster from the playoffs by saying he would return to the field in 2020, the question of where he will play is still very much unsettled.

The Chargers, long rumored as a possible fit, were definitively linked to Brady just last week, when Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirmed that the Bolts would make a push for the six-time Super Bowl champ. Given the talent that LA boasts at the skill positions and the fact that the club could incorporate Brady’s TB12 workout facility into its brand new stadium — not to mention Brady’s connections to SoCal — a Chargers-Brady partnership is a logical one.

But LA’s division rival, the Raiders, are also planning to pursue the future Hall of Famer. Adding Brady at this point in his career would not necessarily represent a slam-dunk upgrade over Derek Carr, but it would make a ton of sense from a marketing perspective for the Las Vegas-bound outfit and for Brady, and if the Raiders improve their receiving corps — which they are fully expected to do — they could compete for a wildcard berth in 2020.

The Colts and Titans have been more speculative fits than anything else, but the Colts hung around the playoff picture for much of the 2019 season, the AFC South looks like it will be up for grabs again in 2020, and Brady could be the boost that gets Indianapolis back to the postseason. The Colts are also flush with cap space, so they could afford to sign Brady while also providing him with a couple of additional weapons, though they already have a few talented pieces at the skill positions.

Of course, the Titans were the team that ended the Patriots’ 2019 playoff run, and they advanced to the AFC Championship game behind a dominant running game and good defense. Ryan Tannehill was more of a game manager in the playoffs than he was in his regular season renaissance, and recent reports have suggested that Tennessee may not be as committed to him as was once believed. If Brady is interested, the Titans may be, too.

And then there’s the Patriots, who became one of the all-time great dynasties in sports with Brady under center. Owner Robert Kraft has made it clear that he wants Brady back, but some around the league believe the 42-year-old will leave Foxborough, leaving the Pats without a definitive answer at QB for the first time in 20 years.

So what do you think? Will Brady remain with the only team he has ever known, or will he play out the remainder of his career trying to bring glory to another franchise? Vote in the poll below and show your work in the comments.

Latest On Tom Brady, Patriots

February 8th, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady‘s free agency decision is set to overshadow the rest of this year’s market. And with the Chargers and Raiders already linked to pursuing the future Hall of Fame passer, the Patriots’ offseason will be quite complicated.

A report surfaced recently indicating the Pats are prepared to give Brady a contract that pays him at least $30MM per season, which would put the 42-year-old quarterback near his top peers after several years of accepting team-friendly discounts. That report proved to be an annoyance to the Patriots, per NBC Sports Tom Curran, who adds the team has not delved into financial specifics just yet.

While it would still be somewhat surprising to see Brady part ways with Bill Belichick after the partnership produced six Super Bowl titles, some NFL insiders expect that to happen. Some around the league believe Brady departing is “all but a done deal,” Mike Jones of USA Today reports. Others within league circles expect the Pats to retain him, due to their lack of a successor in place and Robert Kraft‘s desire to see Brady stay.

Kraft has made his intentions clear; Belichick has not. The 21st-year Patriots coach, however, will not be forced to keep Brady, Curran adds. Although Kraft denied he pushed Belichick to trade Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, a report indicated that happened. So the Kraft-Belichick dynamic will naturally be interesting as Brady prepares to be a first-time free agent.

Brady is expected to gauge the market, which will place the Pats in a bind. If they cannot extend Brady by March 17 — the final day of the 2019 league year — they will be tagged with $13.5MM in dead-money charges in 2020. If Brady re-signs, the Pats can spread that cap hit — created by the Patriots’ usage of void years to redo Brady’s deal last summer — across two seasons. Brady sought a multiyear commitment from the Patriots last year but did not receive it. The Patriots’ level of commitment may be more important to Brady than money, per Curran.

The Pats going into free agency with that dead-money hit and without an answer from Brady, however, will make improving their team more difficult. In an offseason that could feature more quarterback movement than usual, the Patriots would surely be in the market for a veteran passer to replace Brady. But not knowing if they’ll need to do so would tie the Pats’ hands.

Dolphins Unlikely To Make Strong Push For Tom Brady

February 4th, 2020 at 9:21am CST by Zachary Links

Will Tom Brady join up with the Dolphins this offseason? Owner Stephen Ross says that’s not likely to happen.

“We’re a team that’s building, and I don’t know why he’d really want to come to the Dolphins,” Ross said recently (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “He’s been one of the fiercest competitors there is and we’re at the stage with the Dolphins trying to really build a team for the future,” Ross said.

That’s more or less what you’d expect to hear from an owner who doesn’t want to deal with tampering accusations, but Jackson hears that Ross was telling the truth – he’s not expecting Brady to walk through that door and the Dolphins are unlikely to make a strong push for him.

For the last couple of weeks, there has been increasing buzz about the future Hall of Famer taking his talents to South Beach. The theory goes something like this: Brady is close to Bruce Beal, a business partner of Stephen Ross. Beal holds an option to buy the Dolphins from Ross and could, in turn, sell a minority stake in the team to Brady. Brady, potentially, could boost the value of the club in his twilight years by playing in Miami, but Ross, 79, says he plans on being the Dolphins’ owner for the rest of his life.

The Dolphins might not build their offseason around a Brady pursuit, but the Raiders are expected to make a strong push for him and there’s also buzz around the possibility of the Chargers making a play for him as Philip Rivers nears free agency. Meanwhile, the incumbent Patriots are prepared to pay Brady upwards of $30MM/year on his next contract, if he’s willing to stay.

Brady, 43 in August, completed just 60.8% of his throws last year – his lowest success rate since 2013. His 88.0 QB rating wasn’t anything to write home about, either, though he still managed to throw for 4,057 yards with 24 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Raiders To Pursue Tom Brady

February 2nd, 2020 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are preparing to make a run for Tom Brady this offseason, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter hears. The Raiders have been less-than-thrilled with Derek Carr, and Brady would represent a major step up at the quarterback position.

Brady, for the most part, has kept mum about his future plans. His Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, however, indicated that he’ll continue playing in 2020.

The Raiders already have Derek Carr signed through the 2022 season, but they’re not necessarily stuck with him. If they release him midway through his five-year, $125MM deal, they’ll be left with just $5MM in dead money versus $16.5MM in cap savings. That money could be redirected towards Brady, who can command one of the highest salaries in the NFL.

The Patriots are prepared to give Brady a deal worth $30MM per annum, which would at least put him in the range of his true market value. The Raiders, meanwhile, can offer him something in the same neighborhood by clearing most of Carr’s salary from the books.

Brady may be past his prime, but that sort of thing has never dissuaded Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. Brady, 42, would give the Raiders a proven winner and tons of star power in their inaugural Las Vegas season.

The competition for Brady figures to be fierce and will extend beyond the Patriots and Raiders. The Chargers, Dolphins, and Titans (depending on how things shake out with Ryan Tannehill) figure to be just some of the teams that will weigh the future Hall of Famer this offseason.

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