Tom Brady’s 2023 landing spots narrowed down to three teams with possible Buccaneers exit looming: Report
Tom Brady's free agency novel was one of the greatest NFL stories of the decade, as the then-42-year-old quarterback hit the market for the first time in his career after twenty years and six NFL rings with the New England Patriots. He then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and grabbed another title to end any discussion about who was the greatest player of all time.
After winning the Super Bowl in his first season with the Florida team, however, things began to go south. After the Buccaneers were upset by the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 playoffs, Tom Brady announced his retirement, followed by a ton of offensive stars. He did return for another year, but important players like Rob Gronkowski and Ali Marpet still hung up their cleats.
Perhaps even more importantly, head coach Bruce Arians announced his retirement following the 2021 season and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was announced as the new Buccaneers' head coach. The offense fell off a cliff, and Tampa Bay is far from being considered a Super Bowl contender right now.
Brady was also involved in some off-field news, as his highly-publicized marriage with Gisele Bundchen ended after 15 years.
Interested in betting? The Buccaneers are underdogs against the Bengals in Week 15
Tom Brady's free agency landing spots down to three teams
Brady is now set to become a free agent again in 2023, should he decide to keep playing. He would start next season as a 46-year-old quarterback, but if there's one thing we learned about him, we should never doubt his ability to amaze NFL fans.
According to Jason La Canfora, who spoke to agents and team executives, the race to get Brady's services if he reaches free agency again will be narrowed down to just three teams: the Miami Dolphins, the San Francisco 49ers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
If Tom Brady does decide to play next season, I can't imagine he'll stick around in Tampa Bay with Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich.
All three teams make sense for a variety of reasons, and none involves money. The 49ers are Brady's childhood team, and they have a roster ready for a Super Bowl push. The Dolphins have an offensive juggernaut rolling under Mike McDaniel's leadership, and they play the Patriots twice a year, while the Raiders have Brady's former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their current head coach.
Of course, it all depends on whether Brady decides to keep playing in 2023, but the list of teams he would consider is slim.
Tom Brady is not happy with the Buccaneers
The relationship between Brady and his current team is not going well in 2022. La Canfora also pointed out that there's tension between the quarterback and Byron Leftwich, his offensive coordinator.
#Bucs OC Byron Leftwich comments on the report that Tom Brady alters the plans on offense late in the week and the coaches don’t find out until game day. https://t.co/b4RbmZwtO9
The offense has struggled throughout the entire season, with the running game being one of the league's worst and Brady's protection also struggling for most of the year. Injuries and retirements played a part, but overall, the Buccaneers are just a shadow of their previous two years, hence why Tom Brady might look for a different team in 2023.