Bucs' Bruce Arians fretted over ‘secret team' stealing Tom Brady in free agency

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Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians admitted he wasn't convinced Tom Brady would sign with Tampa Bay until the two spoke on the phone during the first night of NFL free agency.

But according to FOX Sports' Jay Glazer, Arians may have still had doubts after his phone call with Brady.

During an appearance Thursday on FS1's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Glazer detailed his back-and-forth with a very paranoid Arians in the days leading up to Brady's signing.

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"I was talking to him throughout the whole thing. Believe it or not, while everybody thought it was a done deal, he didn’t because Tom hadn’t signed,” Glazer said. "Like, it took him a couple days and he didn’t sign."

Brady announced he was leaving the New England Patriots on Tuesday, March 17, but didn't sign with the Bucs until that Friday due to some logistical issues regarding his physical.

Those few extra days apparently made Arians worry that either the Patriots had convinced Brady to stay or that another suitor -- the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts reportedly were all in the mix -- had swooped in to sign the six-time Super Bowl champion.

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"At one point Bruce actually hit me up and said, 'Do you think there’s a secret team here?' " Glazer said. "He’s been around football so long that paranoia is part of your DNA if you’re a head coach.

"He was like, 'Is there another team?' I was like, ‘You’re good, dude. I think you’re good.’ "

Considering Brady actually pitched the Bucs on why they should sign him, it appears Arians' worries were unfounded. But maybe the Bucs' head coach is a superstitious man and didn't want to jinx his chances of landing the GOAT.

"He was almost like, ‘It’s too good to be true,' " Glazer added of Arians.

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