Steve Luciano/Associated Press
Tom Brady is better than your favorite quarterback, and you know it.
OK, two exceptions to the rule exist in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers. Otherwise, every other team in the league should have been salivating over the possibility of signing Brady when he entered free agency for the first time last offseason.
The then-42-year-old reached the pinnacle of the profession and stayed there for 20 years. He knew exactly what he had left to offer and where he stood among the rest of the league’s quarterbacks.
Despite being in great shape, relatively healthy throughout his career and still playing at a high level even as he approached uncharted territory in terms of age, Brady’s market wasn’t as robust as it should have been. Only a handful of teams were serious about signing the then-six-time Super Bowl champion.
Other potential suitors decided to bow out after initial interest, which didn’t sit well with Brady.
“… One of the teams, and they weren’t interested at the very end. I was thinking, ‘You’re sticking with that motherf–ker?'” the reigning Super Bowl MVP said during an episode of HBO’s The Shop.
Social media caught fire trying to decipher which current starter drew Brady’s ire. For the record, the San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo (i.e., Brady’s former backup with the New England Patriots) seems the most obvious candidate. Maybe the veteran’s comment included a little good-natured ribbing.
Ultimately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Brady. At the time, the Bucs’ offseason already looked like one of the best of all time. In the end, the moves the organization made, specifically the Brady acquisition, led it on a path to winning Super Bowl LV.
But things could have been drastically different.
Much like Loki in the Disney+ titular show, other variants can be imagined in What If…? scenarios across the league.
“Time, reality. It’s more than a linear path. It’s a prism of endless possibility,” the upcoming Marvel series proclaims.
Had Brady chosen to go elsewhere, leaguewide ripple effects would have changed professional football as we currently know the game. A glimpse into other possibilities shows just how different things would have been, particularly for those franchises with interest in Brady’s services.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press
Changes in Tampa Bay are rather easy to project. Without Brady, the Buccaneers aren’t the reigning Super Bowl champs. The Chiefs or the Green Bay Packers probably are. Tampa Bay may have still been a playoff squad based on the talent found elsewhere on the roster, but the team hadn’t found the right triggerman to set the standard for everyone else to follow.
Brady did, and head coach Bruce Arians told reporters his quarterback deserves all of the credit for taking the organization where it hadn’t been in a long time:
“This was a very talented football team [in 2019]. But we really didn’t know how to win and when you bring a winner in and he’s running the ship, it makes a total difference in your locker room, every time we step out on the field. … [His attitude] permeated through our whole locker room, his belief that we’re going to do this and knowing he’d been there and done it, our guys believed it. It changed our entire football team.”
The Buccaneers hadn’t even made the playoffs during the previous 12 seasons. So, Brady’s impact can’t be overstated—even on the defensive side of the ball, where Tampa Bay already ranked among the league’s best. Confidence in a team’s quarterback also affects those trying to stop opposing offenses.
“Just from talking to guys after practicing and monitoring how they felt, they saw how hard he works at everything he does and how diligently he does it,” defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said. “Nobody wanted to let anybody down. … I think a lot of that carried over to the defense and made them more accountable.”
Without Brady, the Buccaneers probably would have re-signed previous starter Jameis Winston, who led the league with 5,109 passing yards (and 30 interceptions) during the ’19 campaign. Though the 2015 first overall draft pick clearly wasn’t the answer, continuity could have played a significant role in the decision.
New Orleans Saints
Brian Westerholt/Associated Press
Speaking of Winston, Brady could have easily landed with one of the Buccaneers’ rivals.
“I think that people still underestimate how close Tom Brady was to signing with the New Orleans Saints,” ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported.
A partnership between Brady and Saints head coach Sean Payton, who is one of football’s best offensive minds, could have led to great success, not just last year but into the future as well.
The move would have come at a cost, though.
By signing Brady, Drew Brees wouldn’t have received his farewell tour in 2020—which the NFL‘s all-time leading passer more than earned. Brees deserved the right to go out on his terms considering how much he meant to the Saints franchise and the city of New Orleans.
But a calculated approach could have netted the Saints another run at a championship.
Brees played relatively well. However, two things still worked against him going into last season.
First, Brees had been injured during the ’19 campaign and missed five regular-season games. He wasn’t the same workhorse he had been during the previous 15 seasons when he missed four total contests. Secondly, the quarterback started to consider retirement years earlier. The Super Bowl XLIV MVP decided to give it one more shot and fell short. There was nothing wrong with his or the team’s approach.
Brady’s availability had to be tempting, though. He wasn’t just a one-year Band-Aid. The three-time league MVP openly talked about playing until he’s 45 or even older.
This offseason, the Saints had to rework their salary-cap standing, which would have put Brady in a bind as far as what he could have done in Year 2. At the same time, New Orleans would be situated at quarterback without having to worry about Winston or Taysom Hill winning the job this offseason, even if it cost Saints fans one extra year of watching Brees lead the offense.
San Francisco 49ers
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
Something poetic existed regarding the possibility of Brady joining the 49ers. Brady grew up in the Bay Area as a 49ers fan. The chance to finish his career back home had to be enticing.
The mentor replacing the protege—Garoppolo, in this case—added more intrigue.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Brady wanted to sign with San Francisco. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan chose to pass. The team’s financial situation certainly contributed to the decision, as the 49ers needed to rid themselves of bad deals and even traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts because the team couldn’t afford him and defensive end Arik Armstead.
Garoppolo’s deal served as a barrier as well since his dead cap charge exceeded his actual in-season salary-cap number. Furthermore, the current 49ers quarterback played in all 16 games the previous season and helped lead his team to a Super Bowl.
Even so, questions about Garoppolo’s overall durability and performance in the biggest game of his life brought his status under fire. A year later, the 49ers decided to move on by trading up to draft North Dakota State’s Trey Lance with the third overall pick. Garoppolo’s days are numbered. The same couldn’t be said if San Francisco signed Brady.
With Brady in tow, Garoppolo would already be off the 49ers roster. Maybe he’d have re-signed with the New England Patriots as Brady’s replacement in an instance of universal kismet. Cam Newton would then be elsewhere, and New England probably wouldn’t have spent this year’s first-round pick on Mac Jones.
Speaking of first-round picks, the 49ers wouldn’t be forced to make a move for Lance. Instead, the team could have stood pat with this year’s 12th overall pick, along with keeping its future first-round selections, and chosen guard Alijah Vera-Tucker or one of the next cornerback prospects. The Atlanta Falcons had their sights set on Lance with the fourth overall pick had he been available.
The 49ers should bounce back this fall after a down campaign, but the team could have been even further along in its attempt to remain in Super Bowl contention with Brady and others added to the mix.
Los Angeles Chargers
Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press
The Buccaneers and Chargers were the two teams that went the hardest after Brady.
“The Los Angeles Chargers have emerged as a legitimate option for Brady,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last February. “… They have everything he would want, which is a team ready to win right away.”
Rapoport later added that the Chargers offered Brady a deal similar to the Bucs. In the end, the result benefited both franchises.
Obviously, the Buccaneers are on top after only one year with Brady at the helm. The Chargers are sitting pretty as well after selecting Justin Herbert with last year’s sixth overall pick.
If Brady signed, Los Angeles wouldn’t have the NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, who happened to set a rookie record with 31 touchdown passes. Herbert is only 23 years old and already one of the league’s most exciting young signal-callers. The Chargers can build around him for years to come.
Could Brady have pushed the Chargers over the top like he did with Tampa Bay and created a level of accountability that prevented so many late-game losses? Possibly. Even with Brady, the Chargers would still be the second-best team in the AFC West. An argument can be made that’s where Los Angeles is currently.
Brady could have chosen to sign with the Chargers, though. He didn’t because of “family considerations,” according to NFL Network’s Jim Trotter.
With the veteran on the roster, Herbert probably lands with the Carolina Panthers or Jacksonville Jaguars since the Miami Dolphins already had their eye on Tua Tagovailoa. In turn, the Chargers could have added a much-needed offensive tackle prospect in Jedrick Wills Jr., Mekhi Becton or Tristan Wirfs.
From there, Rashawn Slater wouldn’t be needed in this year’s draft. Depending on the team’s record, the Chargers could have added another weapon like Kadarius Tony or edge-rusher rusher like Jaelan Phillips or Kwity Paye.
Las Vegas Raiders
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Initially, the Raiders looked like an organization eager to court the GOAT. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder‘s Larry Fitzgerald Sr. reported the team prepared to offer Brady a two-year deal worth $60 million.
Nothing came to fruition in terms of an offer.
Much like the 49ers, the Raiders’ financial standing with their current quarterback, Derek Carr, likely factored into it. The team couldn’t easily get out from under his deal and sign yet another big-money contract.
However, speculation arose about Carr’s availability last offseason. KOA Colorado’s Benjamin Allbright reported the Chicago Bears would be interested in trading for the quarterback.
Well, Carr would have been available if the Raiders actively pursued and signed Brady.
With Carr under center, the Bears never would have needed to trade for Nick Foles. Mitchell Trubisky’s fate would have been sealed much sooner. Plus, Carr’s presence in the lineup would have prevented the Bears from making this year’s bold first-round move that saw them trade up for quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields could have easily slid to the New England Patriots with the 15th overall pick or, ironically, the Las Vegas Raiders, with whom he could have developed behind Brady for a season or two. Maybe the Washington Football Team makes a play for the highly regarded prospect at that point.
Whatever the case, a different decision starts a cascade of movement for multiple franchises at the game’s most important position.
Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.
