The Patriots and star quarterback Tom Brady may finally be headed towards divorce. According to ESPN and NBC Boston, it is more likely Brady will retire or join another team instead of play for the Patriots again next season. In true Patriots’ fashion, the team neither confirmed nor denied anything this week. Brady did sell his house and is on the last year of his contract with the team, giving fuel to the fire that this season may be his last with the Pats.

The divorce between Brady and the Patriots has been years in the making. It all started when the team drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.

When head coach Bill Belichick was ready to move on to Jimmy G., Brady quickly got the young quarterback shipped to the 49ers. After Jimmy was traded, the Patriots continued to dominate, with Brady, and won more super bowls.

However, Brady is getting older, and Belichick has never been known to hold onto players till the very end of their careers. Most NFL fans can’t picture Brady in any other uniform, he’s been the face of the franchise for the last 20 years. But if he leaves, there are a few teams that make sense.

Tom Brady heads to the Bears

The Bears have to be done with current starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Sure they drafted Mitch at number two overall only a few seasons ago, but he hasn’t shown signs of getting any better.

In fact, it seems Mitch is getting worse, and the team’s confidence in him is even lower than his self-esteem. According to ESPN and NBC Sports, the Bears make perfect sense for Brady.

Simply put, the Bears won’t win a super bowl with Mitch, they may not even make the playoffs. However, with Brady, they shoot to Super Bowl contenders and even favorites.

The defense is already great, and the team’s head coach is an offensive mastermind. Brady could step right into the Bear’s system and become the winning quarterback the city has been desperately searching for since the team was born.

Tom Brady travels south to the Panthers

Cam Newton needs a fresh start. The former number one overall pick has been beaten up, and it looks like the Panthers are ready to move on from their franchise quarterback.

Backup Kyle Allen has performed well in Cam’s absence, but Allen couldn’t even start in college and isn’t going to become a franchise saver. With Cam gone, that leaves a glaring hole in the depth chart which could be filled by Tom Brady.

The Panthers have decent weapons and the best running back in the league. The strong run game would take some of the pressure off Brady and set up a deadly play-action game that would fit Brady’s strengths. The NFC South is also a weaker division that the team could win with Brady or at the very least be a wildcard team.

Tom Brady packs up for the Bucs

Another team that may be done with a former number one overall pick is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Jameis Winston throws too many interceptions, has too few wins, and too many run-ins with the law for the Bucs to give him the keys to the franchise long-term.

Head coach Bruce Arians seems sick of the mistakes and frustrating plays Winston is known for.

Brady’s style of play is the exact opposite of Winston. Brady doesn’t make mistakes, and if he does, he learns from them. With plenty of young stars and a strong coaching staff, Tampa Bay is the type of team Brady could walk into and become the piece to their super bowl puzzle.

Cowboys save the cash for Tom Brady

All season the Cowboys and sports radio have tried to figure out how much the team should pay current quarterback Dak Prescott. With each great win and terrible loss, the number seems to increase or decrease significantly. The Cowboys have said they want Dak to take a team-friendly deal for the team to be able to sign their other young stars.

Dak, on the other hand, wants upwards of $30 million a year, and most of it guaranteed. A guaranteed deal would eat most of the team’s cap space.

Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones is known for spending big money and making a splash. The longtime owner of America’s team is also desperate to win a super bowl. Signing Tom Brady would be just the type of move Jerry would make. Brady would be an improvement over Dak at any price. Jones may not be willing to break out the checkbook for Dak, but he may hand a blank check to Brady.

Tom Brady see a familiar face with the Titans

The Titans are desperate to find a quarterback and have been for years. The defense is one of the best in the league, and the offense has weapons, but Brady has a bigger reason to head to Nashville, the head coach Mike Vrabel.

Brady and Vrabel played on multiple super bowl teams together, and the two have maintained a tight friendship.

It’s no secret Brady has never been fully appreciated by Bill Belichick. By heading to Nashville, Brady would step into a situation where he’s appreciated instantly by the head coach. The Titans have been stuck in quarterback purgatory for years, but Brady may finally be the music city’s answer.

Tom Brady becomes a star for the Chargers

Nothing will fix the mistake of the Chargers moving from San Diego to Los Angeles. The team can barely sell tickets, and the stadium is typically full of the opposing team’s fans. Part of the reason is that the Rams have captivated the city’s attention and because the Chargers can’t put a winning product on the field.

Hollywood demands stars not just in movies, but also on football teams. No star is bigger than Tom Brady.

Brady is a family man with young kids and wants to spend more time with them. Playing for the Chargers puts Brady much closer to his family then playing in New England does. Brady isn’t the young 21-year old that only had football to focus on; he’s a dad that has more to think about. The Chargers give Brady a work-life balance that no other team can provide.

Tom Brady lands with the 49ers

The idea of Brady taking Jimmy G.’s job may sound ridiculous at first, but not when you examine Brady’s history with the 49ers. Tom was a massive 49ers fan as a kid and had always dreamed of playing for his favorite team.

Before trading for Jimmy G., the 49ers actually tried to get Brady but were shut down. If Brady hits the open market, nothing is stopping him from heading to the bay area.

Jimmy G. has been decent, but not great on the 49ers. San Francisco could even consider trading Jimmy back to the Pats and then signing Brady. The 49ers are undefeated this season and are quickly growing into super bowl favorites. With Brady next season, the team could go from possible NFC champs to world champs.

Kraft keeps Tom Brady

Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft loves Tom Brady like a son. When Belichick was going to get rid of Brady, Kraft shut the idea down. Kraft’s decision was the first time he had ever stopped a Belichick decision.

The idea of Brady wearing another jersey or raising a trophy for another team might be something Kraft can’t stomach. Instead of letting Brady walk or keeping him on the team, Kraft could offer Brady part of the Patriots.

If Kraft were to offer a 5 percent of the Patriots to Brady in exchange for Tom not playing for another team, it would be nearly impossible for Brady to turn down. Brady has nothing left to prove in the NFL, and two or three years with another team would look odd to every NFL fan. Giving Brady part of the team ensures he doesn’t win a trophy for someone else and keeps him a Patriot forever.

Nearly every part of the NFL is unpredictable. However, it always seems like an older quarterback switches teams at the end of his career.

Namath went to the Rams, Montana when to the Chiefs, and Favre went to the Vikings all of those moves seemed odd and are footnotes in otherwise storied careers. Fans never want to see players go out in such strange ways, but it’s bound to happen to some veteran players that aren’t ready to hang it up. Tom Brady very well could be ending his 20-year career with the Patriots to have his very own footnote moment with another team.
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