More Signs Point Towards Tom Brady Leaving Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s getting harder and harder to picture Tom Brady returning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season.

As if Brady’s postgame press conference following the Buccaneers’ season-ending loss versus the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t enough of an indication, this latest report isn’t going to exactly echo confidence that the veteran is suiting up for Tampa Bay next season.

According to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Buccaneers players feel their franchise quarterback is on the way out.

“Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady plans to take his time making a decision on his future, aiming to look at his options with a clear mind,” said Rapoport. “Yet several players already have a feeling which direction he is leaning. Based on their final interactions with Brady, it felt to them as if Brady was leaving Tampa with no intention to return.”

Brady has yet to commit to the idea of returning for another season in 2023. However, if he does return for a 24th season, there’s been little indication that he’ll return with the Buccaneers.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion thanked the media and the organization following Tampa Bay’s 31-14 playoff loss to Dallas last Monday night. It sounded like a farewell message.

“I love this organization, it’s a great place to be,” Brady said. “Thank you everybody for welcoming me. All you regulars, I’m just very grateful for the respect, and I hope I gave the same thing back to you guys. So, thank you very much.”

As Rapoport noted, one of Brady’s teammates stated the following: “I’d be surprised if he’s back.”

Another one said it sounded like Brady was saying goodbye: “He sounded like a person saying goodbye for good.”

As previously reported, there will be teams who will make a run for Brady. The Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers are the most common teams that have been mentioned as possibilities.

Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported earlier in the week that the Raiders will “explore” the idea of signing Brady.

“I’m told the Raiders are still working through their options at quarterback,” said Anderson. “They have not made a decision on the exact path, at this time. The expectation is they’ll explore the Tom Brady option in due time as “one” of those paths, per league source.”

Brady won’t have any shortage of options in free agency. And unless the Buccaneers do enough in the offseason to convince Brady to return for a fourth season, why would he return to slog through another mediocre campaign?

Tampa Bay made it to the playoffs this season, but it was largely due to playing in a weak division.

Over the course of Brady’s first losing season as a starting quarterback, the Buccaneers lost to the P.J. Walker-led Carolina Panthers, nearly lost to the Andy Dalton-led New Orleans Saints — before a miraculous comeback led by Brady — and fell behind in a 14-0 hole to the Sam Darnold-led Panthers with a division title on the line in Week 17.

The Buccaneers are in the worst salary cap shape of any team in the NFL entering the offseason, more than $55 million in the negatives. They’re looking for a new offensive coordinator after Byron Leftwich led Tampa Bay to the 25th-ranked offense in a mediocre first season without former head coach Bruce Arians.

In other words, even in a scenario where the Buccaneers do bring Brady back, they’ll likely have to reload and let several key veterans go in order to make it work. Remember, they’re more than $55 million over the salary cap without factoring in Brady’s potential salary cap hit for the 2023 season.

Maybe the Buccaneers tap into the old coaching tree and bring in one of Brady’s former coaches in Bill O’Brien as the offense coordinator. It would be a nice selling point as Brady saw some of his most prolific seasons while playing under his former New England Patriots coach between 2007 and 2011.

But when considering the team’s salary cap constraints, the commitment to head coach Todd Bowles for a second season and the number of options Brady will have at his disposal, a reunion with the Buccaneers does not appear to be likely.