Tom Brady is the GOAT, of course.
We all thought that meant many NFL teams would be lining up for his services as he became a free agent for the first time. And, look, we might be in the smoke screen portion of free agency and that there are multiple teams behind the scenes attempting to make a move to lure Brady away from the New England Patriots.
But the Tennessee Titans — an ideal destination given that they could contend in 2020 and had a roster opening at QB — decided to give Ryan Tannehill a whole bunch of money after just 12 games of really good production last season.
The San Francisco 49ers, per a report, have said no thanks to signing Brady and will go with Jimmy Garoppolo, who didn’t exactly shine in the Super Bowl.
That could mean the Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patriots are left. We’re probably not thinking about a Mystery Team™ or two who could be in the running.
What if signing Brady is actually a bigger risk than we’re considering?
Think about it. This is a 42-year-old quarterback coming off a season in which he threw his lowest completion percentage and touchdowns since 2013. He was 16th in QBR, per Football Outsiders. Maybe part of that was the weapons around him in New England. But it’s clear Brady is a very specific kind of quarterback now.
And that brings me to my next point: Brady thrives in very specific systems, and he’s spent his entire career with a franchise and head coach that has catered to various versions of him over the years. I’m not saying this proves Brady is a system quarterback (we’ve heard that take from some for years), but what if a team that wants to contend now has to wait for him to adjust, or a franchise doesn’t have the right weapons for the QB is he now? It’s not the most ideal situation.
He may still be a better option for the Chargers than Tyrod Taylor. The Bucs may rather have Brady under center than Jameis Winston and all those interceptions.
But it’s clear from the opening of free agency that Brady is a riskier option that you think.
