"He slammed it shut" - Bruce Arians crushes rumors of a Tom Brady comeback
Tom Brady may have retired from the NFL in February, but that doesn't mean he cannot make a return to the sport. The 44-year-old is one of the most passionate and driven players the league has ever seen and there will be a number of teams interested in adding him to their 53-man roster if he decides to return.
However, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians doesn't seem confident in Brady's return. Speaking to reporters at the NFL draft combine on Tuesday, Arians said Brady essentially shut the door on a potential return when the two conversed.
“He [Tom Brady] slammed it shut when I talked to him,” Arians said, as per Greg Auman of The Athletic.
“He slammed it shut when I talked to him,” Bruce Arians says, asked if Tom Brady had left the door open on playing again.
Arians' press conference offered a lot of insight into how the Buccaneers are handling the fallout of losing Brady to retirement. The biggest takeaway is that if Brady does wish to return, it may be hard for him to be on a team other than the Buccaneers.
Tom Brady could be forced to play for the Buccaneers if he unretires
If Brady decides he wants to play another year, he's likely going to have to do so for the Buccaneers. It was revealed on Tuesday that in the 2021 offseason, the Buccaneers added another year to Brady's contract to help the team with their salary cap situation.
If it weren't for that, Brady would be free to sign anywhere this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Instead, the Bucs would have to trade Brady, which Arians acknowledged isn't going to happen due to it being "bad business."
Brady agreed to add an extra year on his contract in the 2021 offseason to help the Bucs cap situation. He could've been a free-agent right now.
Now Bruce Arians says that if Brady choses to return but wants to play for another team, he won't accommodate him. twitter.com/NFLSTROUD/stat…
It's understandable why the Buccaneers wouldn't want to move Brady to another team, considering they will try to contend for a Super Bowl next year.
The San Francisco 49ers have been linked to Brady the most, so it would be bad business to trade him to a team in the same conference.
But Arians did reveal an asking price for Brady should he be on the trade market. However, it's an asking price that's too high for any team, as five first-round picks for a soon-to-be 45-year-old is bad business.
Bruce Arians was asked about trading Brady and what it would take. “Five No. 1’s.”
Tom Brady's offseason will continue to be one of the key storylines to track. But Arians' statements on Tuesday will make us reconsider the likelihood of Brady unretiring over the next few months.