"I was certainly wondering what it would take to get you down in Tampa to be a TE for us next year" - Tom Brady floats offer to Yankees star Aaron Judge to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023
NFL legend Tom Brady has an interesting proposition for New York Yankees star Aaron Judge.
Having produced one of the most prolific offensive seasons in history, Judge has a pot of gold coming his way.
The Yankees slugger turned down a substantial seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer on Opening Day and is due to enter free agency after the World Series.
Judge broke the American League and franchise home run records while leading the Yankees to the AL East title. He is the current favorite to win the AL MVP award ahead of two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.
Naturally, Judge won’t be shy of offers after the season ends. Even Tom Brady has a fascinating proposal for him.
On a recent episode of the Let’s Go podcast, Brady spoke to Judge about how he could be an ideal fit to replace former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski next season.
"You know, obviously, having such an incredible year, and now on the brink of free agency. I was certainly wondering what it would take to get you down here in Tampa to be a tight end for us next year." - Tom Brady
Gronkowski retired this offseason after 11 seasons in the NFL and the Buccaneers have felt his absence this year.
The tight ends for the Buccaneers have been targeted 35 times this season, getting 22 receptions for 207 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. In two seasons for the Bucs (2020-2021), Gronkowski had 100 receptions, 1,425 yards receiving, and 13 touchdowns.
Brady said, albeit jokingly, that Aaron Judge’s stature (6’7” tall, weighing 282 pounds) could turn out to be valuable for Tampa Bay. Judge played football in high school, which led Brady to believe that the Yankees star could transition to being a dual-athlete.
"So as a free agent, it looked pretty good to me the way he runs the size, the catch radius, the power. I mean, it could be something that we could be onto. I know you're a great high school football player… I think you know, obviously baseball turned out pretty well for you. But I don't know, I think maybe this dual-sport athlete we might have to look into." - Tom Brady
Yankees GM Brian Cashman calls Aaron Judge’s wager on himself “an all-time best bet”
Aaron Judge won’t be shy of contracts to consider once the season wraps up.
Judge took a massive gamble when he turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer earlier this year. He went on to produce one of the most prolific seasons in history.
New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman called Judge’s wager on himself “an all-time best bet.”
Brian Cashman talks about the season that Aaron Judge had this year and the achievements he accomplished:
"He's a great player... he captivated the entire baseball world" https://t.co/3WhqRxTq0f
"Brian Cashman talks about the season that Aaron Judge had this year and the achievements he accomplished: 'He's a great player... he captivated the entire baseball world'" - Yankees Videos
Speaking two days before the Yankees’ ALDS showdown with the Cleveland Guardians, Cashman said:
"There's a pot of gold there. It's yet to be determined how much it weighs, but it's a pot of gold, no doubt about it. So good for him. It was already a big pot and, obviously, it'll be bigger. He’s put himself in an amazing position to have a lot of choices. Obviously, we’d like to win the day on that discussion."
Whether Aaron Judge will don the pinstripes in 2023 or not is a discussion reserved for the offseason. The Yankees are eyeing their first World Series crown since 2009, so any discussion at the moment surrounding Judge’s future is only likely to cause distractions.