Tom Brady is the most important person in the NFL heading into free agency, but according to one report the market for his services isn’t as big as you might think.
Writing for Boston Sports Journal, veteran reporter Greg A. Bedard broke down this dynamic.
“The truth is there isn’t much of a market, at least not with teams Brady really wants to or would play for. You, me, the Patriots and the lampost know Brady is not playing for Raiders or Bucs. He might, at the very end, play for the Chargers but they might go another direction before that. The Giants and Colts are out. League sources expect the Titans to lock in Ryan Tannehill at some point at a cheaper rate thanks to the Brady leverage, although that could change.”
This is quite a different take that what’s been espoused by many national insiders. Brady has been strongly linked to the Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, and there are reportedly up to eight teams in the mix to sign him. Most recently, he’s been tied to Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers.
It is worth noting that this is the time of year you really cannot believe anything you read. Agents and teams put information out there for their own benefit, and oftentimes the only reason for doing this is to try and muddy the waters.
Brady hasn’t helped, of course. He’s the one who made sure he’d have the ability to choose his own destiny this offseason, and his latest comments about free agency indicate he is open to potentially moving on from the New England Patriots.
But in the end, perhaps he’ll end up right where he started.