The future of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is up in the air. Brady is set to be a free agent after the season, but it is anyone’s guess right now as to whether or not he will continue his Hall of Fame career. Could the San Francisco 49ers be in his future if he does keep playing?
Brady will turn 46 before the 2023 regular season gets underway, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he decided to hang up his cleats after this season. He already retired once, stepping away from the game earlier this season after deciding to come back to the Buccaneers after being away for a few months.
If Brady decides that he wants to keep playing, there will be plenty of teams that will pursue him in free agency. Despite some people believing that Brady’s game is beginning to waver, he is still playing at a very high level; it just may be below the sky-high expectations that Brady sets for himself and what we have become accustomed to seeing from him.
At 45 years old, Brady is leading the NFL in pass attempts and completions. Despite the high amount of passes, he is still taking care of the ball with two interceptions on the season, leading to an NFL-best 0.5 interception percentage. While his touchdowns are down this season, as he has only 12 in 10 games, not turning the ball over is keeping Tampa Bay in games.
The Buccaneers will assuredly make a run at keeping Brady and signing him to a new contract this offseason. But, they will be far from the only team looking to bring him in. Another team to keep an eye on is the San Francisco 49ers.
The only hold-up for the 49ers would be the options they currently have. Trey Lance will be entering his third season in the NFL after the franchise paid a premium to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft and select him. However, passing on a chance to bring in Brady, who looks capable of still leading a team to a Super Bowl, would be tough for them to do.
Jimmy Garoppolo will be a free agent after the season, so San Francisco could very well be in the market for a new quarterback. He has played very well this season in relief of Trey Lance, who injured a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. The offense was built around a mobile, running quarterback so it took some time for things to iron out, but the 49ers have been rolling in recent weeks.
The 49ers have looked like one of the best teams in the NFL in recent weeks as they are beginning to get healthy on both sides of the ball. San Francisco has an elite defense and on offense, they have everything that a quarterback could want.
San Francisco’s offensive line is among the best in the NFL, something Tom Brady will certainly be looking into whenever he chooses his next team. The Buccaneers’ offensive line has had some struggles this season, which has led to some offensive issues, but that wouldn’t occur in the Bay Area.
Another selling point is how strong the run game is. The 49ers acquired Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers ahead of the trade deadline, bolstering the backfield that had Elijah Mitchell returning from the IR as well. The ground game has been a weakness for Tampa Bay this season as Leonard Fournette is nowhere near as dynamic as he was last season.
The pass-catching weapons are just as talented on the 49ers as with the Buccaneers as well. Deebo Samuel is an All-Pro offensive weapon capable of taking over the game as a wide receiver or running back. Brandon Aiyuk has come into his own this season, showing why the team made him a first-round pick in 2020.
The tight end position is an important one for Brady, as he made a living out of making plays with Rob Gronkowski. That element has been missing this season but the 49ers have one of the best in the business in George Kittle at the tight end spot.
Landing in San Francisco would present Tom Brady with a golden opportunity to continue adding to his trophy case, putting the final cherry on top of his career with a real chance at winning another Lombardi Trophy.
