Buccaneers say they have talked to Tom Brady, no deal in place yet

Soon-to-be former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shocked the NFL world earlier on Tuesday when the six-time Super Bowl champion announced he’s going to move on from the team in free agency.

Once that became official, two teams emerged as favorites to land Brady. That included the Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht is now adding more fuel to the fire. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the front office head indicated that he spoke with Brady on Monday. While no deal is close to being finalized, it seems to be heading in that direction.

Bucs' GM Jason Licht acknowledged there is interest in free-agent QB Tom Brady, the two sides spoke Monday, but there has been no conversation today and there is no deal in place. "We're waiting to see what Tom decides just like everybody else," Licht said.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020

NFL Media’s Mike Silver later noted that he would bet on Tampa Bay landing the 42-year-old all-time great.

It’s already known that Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians likes veteran quarterbacks dating back to his days with the Arizona Cardinals. This seems to be a perfect match.

Tampa Bay has two elite receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as well as an up-and-coming running back, Ronald Jones III. The supporting cast would be much better than what Brady has seen in New England over the past couple seasons.

Stay tuned.