Tom Brady is headed to the NFC.
The 42-year-old quarterback is poised to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent, per Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN.
Tampa is the expected landing spot for Tom Brady barring anything unforeseen, sources tell me and @JeffDarlington.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020
There's no signing date or announcement officially set up, but Brady is expected to be a Buccaneer.
Brady has spent his entire 20-year career with the New England Patriots, but he revealed Tuesday on social media his decision not to re-sign with them.
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The Buccaneers are a good fit for Brady from an offensive standpoint. Tampa Bay is able to surround Brady with a lot of top-tier talent on offense, most notably wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, tight end O.J. Howard and a good offensive line.
Tom E. Curran discussed the Brady move with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, watch below or on YouTube:
Terms of Brady's deal weren't reported, but Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweeted that the Bucs would give Brady $30 million a season.
To be clear: Former #Patriots QB Tom Brady has an agreement in principle to join the #Bucs, source said. It is believed to be roughly $30M per year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
Brady, even at 42, should be a substantial upgrade for the Buccaneers at quarterback over Jameis Winston, who started most of the team's games since it selected him No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Winston became the first QB in a single season to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in 2019. Brady threw just eight interceptions last season and 29 over the last four years combined.
This move immediately makes the Buccaneers a relevant NFL franchise. Tampa Bay has one Super Bowl championship in its history (2002), and only the Cleveland Browns have a longer active playoff appearance drought. The Bucs' last playoff game came in the 2007 campaign. Tampa Bay has six playoff victories in franchise history, the same number of Super Bowl titles (!) Brady has won.
The Buccaneers also are hosting Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium next season. Brady's arrival gives Tampa Bay a better chance to be the first team ever to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
UPDATE (Wednesday, March 18, 7:30 a.m. ET): It appears Brady-to-the-Bucs is done, pending a formal announcement from the QB.
The #Bucs’ contract with new QB Tom Brady, one that pays him up to $30M on a per-year basis, is agreed to and finalized, sources say. Not that there was any doubt, but there were no issues. All that’s left is for @TomBrady to announce it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2020
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