The impact NFL legend Tom Brady had during his two seasons as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer was as immediate as it was brief. The former New England Patriots star led the team to a Super Bowl in his first season and then did his utmost to repeat the trick the following year, albeit falling in the playoffs.
When Brady announced his retirement from the game, no doubt the Buccaneers weren’t overly surprised but will no doubt now be wondering how to move on from his inevitable exit, which came soon after Tampa Bay lost to eventual Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams, in the divisional playoffs.
Now it appears the Buccaneers have left the door slightly ajar for Brady. When it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL betting odds, they’ve fallen like a rock following the departure of perhaps the greatest player to have ever played the game; hence it’s unsurprising that they might seek to persuade the 44-year-old to think twice.
Key among those leaving the door open for Brady is Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians, who has made it abundantly clear he’d welcome his immediate return ahead of the upcoming season;
“That door is never closed. Whenever Tom wants back, he’s back,” and he even has an ingenious way to lure him back to the Raymond James Stadium;
“We’ll play golf. If I beat him, he has to come back,” Added Arians, with a smile.
On the possibility of Brady playing anywhere else, Arians was pretty clear on his feelings should he return.
“Five No. 1s. Maybe.” Was his response in reference to potential trades, as Brady is still technically contracted to Tampa Bay, and as such, they have the ball in their court.
Arians also has his heart set on Kyle Trask as a player that has a “great shot” at starting in 2022;
“We addressed it last year,”
“We drafted Kyle Trask No. 2 for a reason. He fits everything we want to do as a quarterback, and I really liked what I saw for a year. So I doubt draft day is an option. For all the other guys, it’s got to be a trade, and you don’t trade by yourself. You’ve got to have a partner, so that could be out of the question.”
Brady’s record at Tampa was pretty special, following up his debut season record of 15-5 with a 14-5 record last season, when he posted his best-ever numbers, crossing the 5000 yards milestone in the regular season (albeit playing that extra game that was added to the NFL calendar) and his tally of 43 regular season touchdowns was also a personal best and shows that Brady is clearly still very much a player able to make a massive impact in the game, even at his advancing years.
Brady holds many records, including being the NFL’s leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, regular-season wins and playoff wins, not to mention most Super Bowl MVPs, and perhaps these represent the summit of the player’s motivation. Where do you go when you’ve done it all? No doubt this is a question he’s still asking himself in the post-season.