Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady recently stated that he would consider a return to football if given the right opportunity.
Essentially, Brady would need to be joining a team that already has the pieces in place to win.
During a recent episode of FS1’s The Herd, Colin Cowherd named the Minnesota Vikings as a potential landing spot should Brady return to the gridiron.
“Let’s say the Minnesota Vikings call,” Cowherd said. “Sam Darnold … slight injury and whoever they draft at quarterback is not ready to play in that division with the Packers offense, the Bears with Caleb Williams, and the Vikings like their team. They’re off to a 3-1 start. Look at what they would have. Kevin O’Connell, the tall Sean McVay head coach, Brady, top five running back Aaron Jones, the best receiver probably in the league Justin Jefferson, an excellent two in Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and maybe the best young left tackle Christian Darrisaw.”
The Vikings certainly have some weapons on offense. The only thing they are really missing is the quarterback to throw to them, as they lost Kirk Cousins to free agency last month.
Minnesota owns the 11th and 23rd overall picks in the NFL Draft and is widely expected to trade up in order to select a signal-caller, but exploring the Brady route would certainly be interesting.
The thing is, Brady will be 47 years old at the start of next season. Yes, he was still productive at age 45 two years ago, as he threw for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions during his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring for good (or so we thought).
But the fact that he is two years older now makes a huge difference at his stage of life, and even with Brady, it’s hard to envision Minnesota as a legitimate contender in an NFC North division that includes the Detroit Lions, the Packers and even the Bears, as Cowherd noted.
If Brady can play at the same level he did in 2021, when he finished second in MVP voting after leading the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, then that’s a different story. It’s just really hard to envision Tom Brady being able to do that in 2024.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
