It’s way too late for Tom Brady to make a play for a new team – ProFootballTalk

NFL: OCT 10 Dolphins at Buccaneers

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Before Tom Brady unretired and returned to the Buccaneers, we reported that the Dolphins were contemplating a package deal of Brady and former Saints coach Sean Payton, a plan that was derailed by the Brian Flores litigation.

Now that the Dolphins seemingly have everything but a franchise quarterback (sorry, TuAnon), talk of Brady going to Miami has been revised.

Dale Arnold claimed Thursday on WEEI radio that he wouldn’t be surprised if Brady goes to the Dolphins, and that he has heard the parties are “working on it.” (Arnold apparently was the first to report that Brady to the Buccaneers was a done deal in 2020. I don’t know that this is the case, and I’m not inclined to track through two-year-old tweets to confirm or debunk it.)

As much as I love chaos, this seems like a major stretch. Brady returned just in time to keep the Bucs from making a run at Deshaun Watson, or some other quarterback to replace Brady. (That said, they could still go get Baker Mayfield, an apparent favorite of coach Bruce Arians.) Also, Brady has actively recruited players like center Ryan Jensen and defensive back Logan Ryan and running back Leonard Fournette to sign contracts with the team. If Brady would leave now, he would be making a heel turn even bigger and more unexpected than the one Aaron Rodgers has executed in recent months.

Now, 2023? That’s a different story. Miami could make sense then. For now, though, the idea of Brady leaving the Bucs seems even harder to imagine than him retiring and coming back after only 40 days.