In his latest promotion for Madden 22, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady posted a video on his social media account while trying to recruit some of his former New England Patriots teammates to join him, adding the caption “Honing my recruiting game…” According to Henry McKenna of USA Today, Brady first called retired Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and asked him if he’s ready to play. The 44-year-old Brady then called former Patriots linebacker and now Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, telling him coaching is overrated. After that, Brady talked to Hall of Famer Randy Moss, telling him that he still got it and he should return to playing.
Brady also phoned former wideouts Chad Ochocinco and Wes Welker, former linebackers Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi but he got rejected so he resorted to playing Madden 22 online. The video was noticed by Brady’s wife Gisele, who reacted with three fire emojis.
When he joined the Buccaneers last season, Brady did some recruiting and managed to convince tight end Rob Gronkowski to come out of retirement and join him in Tampa Bay. Gronkowski’s decision to come out of retirement paid dividends as the Buccaneers defeated the then-defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV to win their first Lombardi Trophy since 2002. Just recently, Brady tried to recruit Edelman to the Buccaneers after he was released by the Patriots last season, but the former wideout said his decision to retire is firm and he doesn’t want to wear another uniform.
Buccaneers cut two more players
Entering Tuesday, the Buccaneers needed to part ways with two more players to trim down the roster to the league-mandated 85 players. Before the 4 p.m. deadline, the team announced that it cut wide receiver John Franklin III and offensive guard Donell Stanley, per Carmen Vitali of Buccaneers.com.
The move was anticipated since Franklin was injured during training camp. Franklin was cut due to a failed physical as he was still rehabbing from ACL tear that he sustained before last year’s regular season. Stanley provided depth for the Buccaneers during training camp before he was injured. Franklin, for his part, was signed by the Buccaneers as a defensive back in 2019 but he moved to wide receiver.
The roster moves were made ahead of their second preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. The Buccaneers need to part ways with five more players as the NFL mandates teams to cut down their roster to 80 by August 24.
Bucs sign tackle
Per Buccaneers.com. the team on Tuesday signed tackle Jake Benzinger, who entered the league as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. After he was waived by the Cardinals, Benzinger signed a futures contract with the Indianapolis Colts in January 2021, but he was released months later. In another roster move, the Buccaneers placed guard Sadarius Hutcherson on Injured Reserve.
