The future of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has been a major topic of discussion around the football world. Will the future Hall of Famer decide to retire, for real, this time or will he continue his playing career? Should he decide to keep playing, there are a lot of teams that would likely be interested in bringing him aboard. Could he end up returning to the New England Patriots this NFL offseason?
The Buccaneers don’t currently have a contingency plan in place, so they would certainly bring him back if the opportunity presented itself. The San Francisco 49ers, his hometown team, are set up as contenders and would be appealing, especially if Jimmy Garoppolo moves on in free agency and Trey Lance isn’t healthy enough to get back under center yet.
What about his old team, the Patriots? They is reportedly a chance that he returns to the first team he knew. Unsurprisingly, that report started a firestorm on social media.
Twitter was ablaze with a wide range of reactions. Some people weren’t buying it, believing that it was a made-up rumor.
Given how the relationship between Brady and the Patriots deteriorated near the end of his tenure, it is understandable that some people aren’t buying it. Some don’t believe heading back to New England would be best for Brady, as the New York Jets were mentioned as a better landing spot.
The Jets have made some major strides in recent seasons under the regime of general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh. With consistent quarterback play, they would likely be regarded as legitimate contenders as Zach Wilson has been a bust thus far. He was recently benched for Mike White, who responded with a huge game against the Chicago Bears.
Some Patriots fans don’t want Brady back because they like the trajectory that the team is currently on. Acquiring Brady would leave New England without a long-term plan at the quarterback position as Mac Jones would reportedly be traded should Brady return. Plenty of NFL teams would be interested in trading for Jones as well.
Somewhat surprisingly, there weren’t many reactions that would be taken as positive ones to the news of Brady possibly returning. His age could play a part in that as Brady will be 46 by the time the 2023 NFL regular season begins.
If there is a chance to get Tom Brady in the fold, it is something that every franchise will explore. As stated in the article at The Athletic, there is still a lot of respect and admiration between Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. With an elite defense in place, if the Patriots can sell Brady on things such as the offensive system, this is a partnership that could come back in 2023.
