Tom Brady agrees in principle to play for the Buccaneers

The face of the New England Patriots is moving south.

In a somewhat surprising move, veteran quarterback Tom Brady agreed in principle to join the Buccaneers in a blockbuster deal. This on the same day that Brady announced that he would not be returning to the Patriots, his only NFL team through his 20-year career.

Tampa is the expected landing spot for Tom Brady barring anything unforeseen, sources tell me and @JeffDarlington.

There's no signing date or announcement officially set up, but Brady is expected to be a Buccaneer.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020

To be clear: Former #Patriots QB Tom Brady has an agreement in principle to join the #Bucs, source said. It is believed to be roughly $30M per year.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020

In mid-February, the Bucs recognized that Tom Brady was serious about free agency. And they immediately became serious about him, lurking in the background with the belief they had all the elements Brady was looking for. And this week, they got their chance to prove it.

— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 17, 2020

Schematically, the fit with Brady in a Bruce Arians, vertical passing offense is an interesting idea. Over the years Arians, a disciple of the Air Coryell downfield attack, has focused on the vertical passing game. Brady, meanwhile, has spent his entire career in an offense that is predicated on getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands as quickly as possible and maximizing yardage after the catch.

However, the Buccaneers have a number of weapons that Brady now has at his disposal. In contrast to the players that Brady was throwing to down the stretch last season (such as undrafted rookie free agent Jakobi Meyers and injured Mohamed Sanu) the veteran passer now has players such as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate and potentially additional acquisitions via free agency and the draft.

For years, NFL fans have struggled to answer the question: “Brady or Bill Belichick.” It seems that in 2020, they will get a chance to see the answer for themselves.