When Tom Brady officially announced his retirement in the beginning of February, there was an outpouring of respect. This was to be expected, of course, as the production of the 7-time Super Bowl Champion will likely never be matched again.
The inevitable reaction to the reaction was just as expected – speculation as to how long the retirement would actually last. With Brady being such an unprecedented mainstay in the lives of football fans, it’s hard to believe that he won’t be playing on Sundays anymore.
The 44-year-old showed no signs of slowing down in his last season, leading the NFL in passing touchdowns and yards, and rumors of a rift between himself and Bruce Arians have aided rumors that he may have simply been done with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even the man himself can’t rule out a comeback for sure, saying “Never say never,” on his podcast.
So if he were to renege on his retirement, where would he go? We think these are the top 5 fits for Tom Brady to play in the 2022-23 NFL season.
5. Cleveland Browns
After taking Baker Mayfield, Browns fans thought they had finally found their franchise QB for the foreseeable future. However, after a few seasons, it appears that Cleveland fans may have traded in their QB hell for a QB purgatory as Mayfield hasn’t become the elite signal-caller that his peers like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Burrow have.
There’s already been speculation from major Browns reporters that Cleveland should pursue Brady this offseason. After a disappointing season where Baker was fighting through injuries still ended up with the Browns in contention for a playoff spot near the closing weeks, Brady would be a no-doubt upgrade.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
Apologies to Ravens and Bengals fans, for putting this guy in your division twice. With Ben Roethlisberger mercifully no longer throwing ducks at the feet of his wide receivers, there is a major QB starting job available in the Steel City.
Big Ben was not exactly a high-end starter last season, but even the shadow of #7 got the Steelers to a wild card berth. Add in another old-man quarterback to a franchise that has a proven history of drafting great wide receivers and one of the NFL’s most accomplished coaches in Mike Tomlin, and you’ve got a real contender on your hands.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas may seem like an odd choice for a list like this, given that they have a well-established starting quarterback in Derek Carr. However, Carr is due for a contract extension soon and will demand a major payday. But, is it worth playing a merely good quarterback elite money? Maybe not.
Another major factor at play here – the Raiders recently hired Brady’s longtime offensive coordinator from New England, Josh McDaniels, to be their head coach. The McDaniels-Brady combo yielded years of dominance from TB12 with the Patriots, so why not run it back in New England? Plus, Carr would be sought-after by QB-needy teams, so the Raiders would easily be able to flip him for major assets to help field a contender around Brady.
2. Miami Dolphins
Look away Patriots fans. After two seasons in Tampa Bay, Brady might just like to move a bit further south to Miami. There have been rumors that Brady has interest in buying a share of the Dolphins’ ownership, why not scout your investment up close?
Miami went 9-8 last year, even though former high draft pick Tua Tagovaiola has failed to prove himself as a franchise centerpiece across his two seasons in the NFL. With newly-hired head coach Mike McDaniel not having loyalty to Tua, it may be time to upgrade. After a 9-8 season last year, Brady would make the Dolphins a surefire playoff pick. The controversy surrounding the Dolphins around the dismissal of former head coach Brian Flores is certainly hanging over the organization right now, but from a pure football perspective, this pairing works very nicely.
1. San Francisco 49ers
This one’s almost too obvious. The 49ers were able to make it all the way to the NFC Championship game last year despite having Jimmy Garoppolo at starting quarterback. The upgrade from Brady’s former backup to the man himself would dramatically improve the Niners’ already-bright outlook for next season. The 49ers’ odds to win the Super Bowl on major online sportsbooks like FanDuel Sportsbook would certainly shoot up if they were able to add Brady to their already-stacked roster.
This way, Brady joins a ready-made contender with a prodigious offensive mind at head coach, plus he gets to avoid the gauntlet of elite AFC quarterbacks in the playoffs. Additionally, last year’s first-round pick and the 49ers’ quarterback of the future, Trey Lance gets to learn from the GOAT.
If all that doesn’t convince you, Tom Brady is actually from the Bay Area for god’s sake. If Brady doesn’t want to stay retired, the 49ers are the clear choice.
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