The Tom Brady free agency saga is getting interesting with March 18 fast approaching. The 42-year-old Brady will turn unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 20-year NFL career on that said date. Between now and that date, the Patriots could negotiate a deal with Brady to prevent him from testing the free-agent market. On March 16, other teams can legally tamper with Brady and make their respective pitches. It was reported earlier by Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports that at least 10 teams could pursue Brady in free agency, but as of now, four teams are clearly interested in his services.
Per Albert Breer of MMQB, these four teams are the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chargers, Raiders and the Titans are regularly mentioned as possible Brady suitors while the Buccaneers recently threw themselves into the mix with the uncertain future of Jameis Winston under center.
Colts, Giants won’t pursue Brady
It was earlier reported that the Raiders are willing to offer Brady a two-year contract worth $60 million, while the Chargers are looking for a starting quarterback after parting ways with long-time starter Phillip Rivers. Breer also mentioned that the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants are already out of the running for Brady’s services.
According to Breer, sources told him that the Giants and Colts won’t be in the mix if Brady does make it free agency. The Giants already have Daniel Jones as starter while the Colts still have Jacoby Brissett under contract for one more year, but they want a quarterback upgrade after finishing just 7-9 last season after an impressive start.
Brady, Belichick need to sit down
The Patriots have yet to offer Brady a new deal, not because they are not interested in bringing him back but it is mainly due to the uncertainty regarding the proposed collective bargaining agreement. Earlier, Adam Schefter said it would be hard for the Patriots to try to structure a contract without knowing what rules will be.
However, Breer insisted that Brady is open to returning to the Patriots, under certain terms. While Breer didn't mention Brady's conditions, but it could include a two-year commitment from the team, including guaranteed money for the 2020 season and some guaranteed money for 2021, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
Also, Breer said that head coach Bill Belichick is willing to bring him back under certain conditions. “What’s left is for the two to sit down and see if one guy’s terms can match the other guy’s terms,” said Breer. If the two sides don’t agree to a term, Breer said it would be time for them to recognize the need to move one as doing a contract to bring Brady back to New England would be difficult.
If that happens, the Patriots could get a veteran quarterback via trade or free agency. It was earlier reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Media that the Patriots could trade for Cincinnati Bengals’ Andy Dalton as part of their “Plan B” in case Brady bolts New England. The Patriots are reportedly interested in pursuing former Titans starter Marcus Mariota in free agency.