We almost had evidence that Tom Brady and Bruce Arians enjoy each other's company.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and head coach had plans to play golf Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Old Memorial Golf Club before the NFL stepped in and forced them to cancel, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday.
Brady and Arians were set to play with Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen and ex-Bucs star Ronde Barber and may have gotten "multiple" rounds in during the team's bye week, per Schefter.
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However, the NFL informed them that golfing together would violate the league's COVID-19 protocols, so the outing was called off.
There's been plenty of speculation about Brady and Arians' relationship this season, especially after Tampa Bay lost three of its last four games. Arians has been bluntly critical of the former Patriots quarterback at times, while there are signs that Brady has had trouble adjusting to Arians' offense after 20 years in New England.
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Arians attempted to squash that speculation this week by calling Brady "a joy to coach," and the two could have pointed to their golf outing as a sign they don't hate each other.
A source also told Schefter that rumors of a Brady-Arians rift are "way overdone," so it appears the two are making their best efforts to coexist.
Wins also help relationships, and the Bucs certainly could use one Sunday against the Vikings. Tampa Bay is in the second NFC Wild Card spot at 7-5, while Minnesota is one game behind at 6-6.