Will Tom Brady ever lead an NFL team as head coach?
While it's clear that Tom Brady's playing career is nearing its end, could the quarterback ever return to lead an NFL team as head coach?
Many sports have historically granted coaching positions to former players in the hope that some skills are transferable. Often, this train of thought is false. Being one of the greatest NFL players of all time doesn't guarantee anything as a coach.
Of course, Brady could immediately command the respect of a locker room, but this doesn't last long if your scheme doesn't convince the roster.
A divorce from Gisele Bundchen may extend the former Michigan quarterback's playing career. With that being said, it can't last forever.
Jeff Saturday recently made headlines for returning to the NFL as a first-time head coach, and that has set tongues wagging about TB12.
Which NFL teams could sign Tom Brady as their future head coach?
The coaching market in the NFL is incredibly fluid. Unless you're one of the cornerstone coaches in the league, your job could become uncertain at any moment.
There is only a finite window in which these coaches are given a chance to win a Super Bowl. It's incredibly stressful, but the rewards can often be incredible if a person has a particular affinity with developing talent.
“Obviously I have a lot of experience playing, I have a lot of knowledge and there’s, I’d say, a lot of capabilities to doing that [coaching], but the desire to do something like that is totally different.”
Speaking on his Let's Go! podcast, Brady didn't necessarily sound like a person intent on moving into coaching.
It seemed as though he was acutely aware of the pitfalls of such a role and that his dedication to it may not be the same as it is to become the best player he could be.
Future head coach Tom Brady?! 👀
Just like his explanations about playing until 50. It seems like he believes he can play, or in this clip coach. Whether he wants to do it is a different story.
#GoBucs https://t.co/0ZqsyqC6De
Yet, as the saying goes, never say never. You can't rule out Tom Brady being an emergency hire in the future, but which teams would want him?
Jeff Saturday got the Colts job because he was a legendary player there. Tom Terrific has been a legitimate New England Patriots icon, but he also delivered a Super Bowl to Tampa Bay.
Imagine if the post-Belichick years don't go well in Foxboro. Whichever coach takes that job first is taking on a poisoned chalice.
Teams who have enjoyed so much success tend not to adjust well to an immediate drop in standards. Just look at Manchester United. Do you think Robert Kraft isn't going to fire his new coach if they are under .500 by Week 9?
The calls will start quietly from the stands. Then it will be a discussion point on the early-morning debate shows. Finally, it will reach the established members of the NFL media inner circle citing sources.
Tom Brady will forever be linked with the New England Patriots, and whenever they find themselves in strife, he'll be linked to the coaching position as a potential savior.
How many current NFL head coaches are younger than Tom Brady?
At 45 years old, the Bucs' starter would be older than some of his counterparts if he were to become an NFL coach tomorrow.
13 of the current crop are younger than Brady right now. Most of these individuals are natural coaches. They're people desperate to make a career for themselves in that role.
Belichick was the same when he emerged as a coordinator with the New York Giants.
More often than not, these are the coaches who enjoy the best careers.
Brady has already suggested that he might not have that same drive. This would already set alarm bells should a team be interested in hiring the legendary quarterback.
You can't be an NFL head coach without the role consuming you. It must be your passion and, to a certain extent, your entire identity.
Can the 45-year-old take that attitude from playing into another area? It's unlikely. A lifelong position is usually just that; you rarely see someone with multiple.
Who was Tom Brady's first head coach?
Bill Belichick drafted Brady in 2000. Before he left for Tampa Bay in 2020, Belichick was the only NFL head coach that Brady had ever known.
Their work became dynastic. They formed an era with the Patriots that will almost certainly never be matched by a coach-quarterback combination.
Does this relationship have any bearing on whether the 45-year-old will become a coach himself?
Most coaches develop a coaching tree. Belichick himself is a product of Bill Parcells' alongside Sean Payton.
Belichick has his own tree, including Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, and Brian Flores. These coaches took something from their mentors on the road to becoming head coaches in their own right.
Brady worked closely enough with Belichick to do something similar, but as he said himself, his entire focus has been on being the best NFL player possible. He won't have learned the same lessons from the veteran that the aforementioned names did. This could make any theoretical move into coaching harder.
Based on Tom Brady's words, that move is likely to stay theoretical for the time being.