NFL: Why did Tom Brady join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
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The new NFL season is still some way away, but when itdoes begin, there’ll be one difference standing out among everything else – TomBrady.
After a sensational, success-laden, history-making careerwith New England Patriots, Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers man now.
After the Pats chose to let 42-year-old Brady go at the endof last season, many wondered who, if anyone, would pick up the six-time SuperBowl winner. Well, the Bucs did.
It remains to be seen if the move works out for player orteam, and before we find out, we’ve run the rule over the key factors behind thedeal coming together from both sides…
Money
Let’s not beat about the bush here, few NFL teams wererealistically going to sign a quarterback who’ll be 43-years-old when the newseason starts – even if he is Tom Brady.
Not only is Brady expensive, many teams will wonder how muchlonger he can compete at the top.
But that wasn’t an issue for the Bucs, who reckon Brady’sworth the dosh, for at least the next two seasons.
Bruce Arians
There’s far more to this than money for Brady and a good bitof PR for Tampa, of course. Both player and team are serious about thepartnership working out.
For Brady, he gets to work under Bruce Arians, Tampa’s headcoach who brings vast experience and carries big respect within the NFLfraternity.
Arians twice guided Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs duringa five-year stint as head coach, reaching the NFC Championship game in 2015.
The 67-year-old has also been offensive coordinator for thePittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts too, helpingthe Steelers win Super Bowl XL in 2005 and XLIII in 2009.
If Brady’s talents are finally on the wane, he could beperfectly placed under Arians. After all, they do call the Tampa coach the‘Quarterback Whisperer’…
Jameis Winston
Another reason why Brady and the Bucs have teamed up isbecause of concerns over last season’s Tampa QB Jameis Winston.
The 26-year-old Florida State product had a wildlyinconsistent campaign last term, becoming the first quarterback in NFL historyto throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season.
Most sides are seemingly content with their quarterbackoptions, but after last season’s unpredictability, Arians and Tampa needed toshake things up.
And that’s where Brady steps in. The 42-year-old could wellbecome Tampa’s starting QB from the get-go.
Winston is an unrestricted free agent, so he may not bearound with the Bucs come September.
But if he is, and learns from the master, then as and whenBrady calls it a day, Winston could – should – be ready to fill the void.
A lot of this comes down again to Arians’ quality in gettingthe best out of his quarterbacks. But if he can find a way for Brady andWinston to work together, then there’s every reason Brady’s arrival can have along-term impact too.
All odds andmarkets correct as of date of publication.
