NFL Trade Rumors: Why Patriots feared losing Tom Brady to Miami Dolphins?
Picture this: Tom Brady meeting the New England Patriots twice a year. As crazy as it sounds, the New England Patriots feared that Tom Brady would join the Dolphins during free agency in 2020.
When Tom Brady announced that he would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft took a deep breath and thanked the man above that Tom didn't go to Miami.
The thought of Tom Brady joining the Miami Dolphins started with his relationship with Dolphins minority owner Bruce Beal. There's also history with the Dolphins head coach Brian Flores from New England. Brady's interest in Miami stemmed from his interest in joining a team that was rebuilding.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald didn't believe that the Dolphins were intensely interested in Brady. According to one of Jackson's sources, Miami was unlikely to pursue Brady in free agency vigThesly. That source spoke to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross about the situation.
Ross told Jackson's source about Tom Brady joining the Miami Dolphins during the 2020 free agency period.
"We're a team that's building, and I don't know why he'd really want to come to the Dolphins. He's been one of the fiercest competitors there is and we're at the stage with the Dolphins trying to really build a team for the future."
If the Dolphins were unlikely to pursue Tom Brady, then why is he linked to the team?
Why was Tom Brady linked to signing with the Miami Dolphins?
Tom Brady to the Dolphins rumors started with minority owner Bruce Beal. There were rumors that Stephen Ross was going to sell the Dolphins to Beal at some point. Brady and Beal have a relationship outside of football, and that sparked the media's interest.
The truth is the Miami Dolphins may not have been interested in Tom Brady playing for their football team but interested in making Tom a minority owner. It makes sense because Tom has given up the majority of his life to the game of football.
Once Tom Brady retires from the NFL, it's hard to believe that he will ultimately walk away from the competition.
As of right now, Stephen Ross has no interest in selling the Miami Dolphins to Bruce Beal. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald posted on his Twitter account at the end of January 2020. That post explained Stephen Ross' stance on selling the Miami Dolphins.
"I have no interest in selling. Zero. Got it? That I can tell you. People want to write, they can write whatever they want. I'm the owner 'til I die. I love it."
It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out after Tom Brady retires from the NFL. As long as Stephen Ross is the owner of the Miami Dolphins, the chances of Brady becoming the quarterback or minority owner is unlikely. One thing that has been proven over time, however, is that anything is possible in the NFL.