Buccaneers fan got a sweet deal after accidentally getting Tom Brady’s 600th TD ball

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Just four quarterbacks in NFL history have thrown 500 career touchdown passes or more. On Sunday, the Buccaneers’ Tom Brady became the first to reach the 600 mark.

Brady threw four touchdown passes in Tampa Bay’s 38-3 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Three of those scoring throws went to wide receiver Mike Evans. TD No. 600 came on a 9-yard pass from Brady to Evans.

One problem: Evans didn’t realize this was the milestone and he gave the ball to a fan in the stand who was wearing his jersey number.

A short while later, a Buccaneers employee was pressed into a new role as a negotiator. What would it take to get the ball from the fan who had a piece of memorabilia unlike any in sports history?

Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Tribune talked to the fan, whose name is Byron Kennedy.

“I knew how much it meant to Tom,” Kennedy told Knight, “and I was willing to trade.”

But not before Kennedy got a different game ball and a $1,000 gift card to the Buccaneers team store, the Athletics’ Greg Auman tweeted.

That may seem like a king’s ransom, but the ball was estimated to be worth $500,000, according to Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions.

First place ... Bengals?!

Before the season, the over/under on victories for the Bengals was 6 1/2.

Smart bettors took the over on that one because Cincinnati improved to 5-2 on Sunday with a 41-17 blowout victory at Baltimore. The Bengals and Ravens are tied atop the AFC North.

Quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23 of 38 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns as the Bengals rolled up 520 total yards.

“We’re starting to earn respect, but we still have a long way to go. Just winning one road game against a divisional opponent, that’s what you have to do if you want to compete in this league,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters after the game. “We have a long way to go, but I’m really proud of the collective team effort.”

DeShaun Watson to Denver?

NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport provided an update on a possible trade for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson ahead of the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline.

Watson, who is not on the commissioner’s exempt list, has been linked to the Dolphins. But Rapoport said other teams have inquired as well.

“Among the teams that have been discussed over the past several months, the Panthers, the Broncos, the Eagles and some others,” Rapoport said on the NFL Network. “His legal situation is still as of right now unsettled. Still of course the civil and criminal allegations of sexual misconduct. I’m told there are still teams interested in trading for him despite the fact that this is still unsettled. Watson also has a no-trade clause. The belief is he would waive it for Miami, unclear as of now what he would do for the others.”

Watson has been accused by 22 women of “coercive and lewd sexual behavior, with two that allege sexual assault, per the New York Times. But Rapoport believes if Watson is traded he could play for a new team immediately.

‘Voice of the Raiders’ sparks win

With a 33-22 win over the Eagles, Las Vegas improved to 2-0 since Jon Gruden stepped down as coach.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr completed 31 of 34 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown.

Carr’s 91.1% completion percentage is the second-best single-game percentage in NFL history behind Drew Brees (96.7%), on a minimum of 30 attempts, the Associated Press reported.

“We can all see the relationship that him and (offensive coordinator) Greg Olson have running this offense, it’s just really coming to fruition,” Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia told the AP. “Off the field, Derek is the voice of the Raiders right now. The players always want to listen to him. ... He’s a tremendous leader both on and off the field.”

The Raiders improved to 5-2 and are alone in first place in the AFC West.