The fan who caught the historic 600th passing touchdown ball of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady passed on the chance to cash in and make some serious money when he returned it. It was reported that the ball’s value could be between $500,000 and $750,000 if placed in an auction. But Byron Kennedy gave it up because he knew the 44-year-old Brady wanted it. During his press conference, Brady said he plans to give Kennedy a helmet or two signed jerseys for his kind gesture, but the fan wanted something more in return. While he doesn’t intend to renegotiate with Brady, Kennedy said he wants to play a round of golf with the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
“Renegotiate, no, but play a round of golf as repayment? That’d be pretty cool,” Kennedy told Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network. Considering the value of the ball, Brady might want to give in to the fan’s request and play golf with him. The ball landed on Kennedy’s hands after wide receiver Mike Evans gave it to him after catching Brady’s second touchdown of the game. Needing two to break the 600-touchdown mark, Brady threw four touchdown passes in their 38-3 rout of the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Evans finished with three touchdown receptions while Chris Godwin caught the other touchdown pass from Brady as the Buccaneers extended their winning streak to four games to improve to an NFC South-best 6-1 on the season.
Evans closes in on franchise record
With his three touchdown receptions, Evans moved closer to breaking one of the franchise’s most significant records. Currently, Evans has 69 touchdowns in his career (68 receiving and one on a fumble recovery) in his eighth season with the Buccaneers. Evans is just two away from the record of 71 set by fullback Mike Alstott, who played 11 seasons with the Buccaneers.
With Evans playing at a high level, he is expected to break Alstott’s record at some point during the regular season.
Arians hopes Gronk, David can return for Week 8
The Buccaneers will go on the road in Week 8 to face division rival New Orleans Saints. Before that game, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians is hopeful that two of his key players would make their return, During his talk to the media on Monday, Arians said he’s optimistic that tight end Rob Gronkowski and linebacker Lavonte David will be back in the lineup ahead of their clash with the Saints.
Arians added that cornerback Richard Sherman might make his return during that game. Gronkowski hasn’t played since suffering a rib injury in their Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams while David missed the last two games due to a leg injury that he sustained in their Week 5 win over the Miami Dolphins. Sherman, for his part, missed their win over the Bears after suffering a hamstring injury in their win over the Philadelphia Eagles.