Report: Tom Brady nearly signed with the Bears this offseason
The Chicago Bears went into the 2020 offseason searching for a quarterback to push – or replace – starter Mitchell Trubisky after the former second overall pick struggled in his third season in the NFL. While they ultimately settled on trading for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles, they nearly found a future Hall of Fame player to take the job outright.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who signed with the team this offseason after a legendary career in New England, reportedly was close to signing with the Bears this spring, according to sports talk host Dan Patrick.
Reporting on his own radio show, Patrick revealed the Bears were on the shortlist of teams Brady was looking to sign with.
“Did you know that the Bears were on the final, final list of teams for Tom Brady?” Patrick asked his producer.
The former NBC Football Night in America host continued:
“The final list that Brady was looking at, the Chargers, the Bears, and the Buccaneers. I was told this yesterday. I said ‘wait a minute, the Bears?’ [Source] said yes. Brady was considering the Bears, the Chargers were a long shot because of the west coast…the fact that he was considering the Bears, Chicago at least – because he wanted to be [close] in proximity to New York where his son is…but ended up taking Tampa Bay.”
Ever since rumors began circulating regarding Brady’s unhappiness in New England and his impending free agency drawing closer and closer, many pegged the Bears as a popular choice for the six-time Super Bowl winner.
When free agency finally began, the Bears were never mentioned as a destination for Brady. It’s unclear how much interest the Bears had or how hard they pushed to land him. General manager Ryan Pace reportedly was working to sign free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater before he chose to sign in Carolina. Brady ultimately winds up choosing Tampa Bay and the Bears make a trade for Foles to push Trubisky instead of signing one of the greatest of all time to replace him.
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