Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might not be headed for a divorce after all
TAMPA — Heading into Monday night’s playoff game against Dallas and all throughout it, it seemed like the stage was set for Tom Brady to establish some sort of unofficial record by going through his second divorce in less than three months.
He would leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and jump to the Raiders, 49ers, Dolphins or Titans. Much like his marriage to model Gisele Bunchden that ended Oct. 28, his three-year union with the Bucs had served its purpose. Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl in Brady’s first season. They were upset in the 2021 playoffs, losing to the Rams in the NFC divisional round, and took a huge step back this season, going 8-9 (the first losing record of Brady’s career).
Throw in the humiliation of Monday’s 31-14 home playoff loss to the Cowboys and it seemed like the shelf life of Brady with the Bucs had expired and both sides would seek other partners.
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But maybe, just maybe, the 45-year-old quarterback isn’t done with the Bucs just yet. Look beyond the obvious. There’s one scenario out there that comes with lots of logic that hasn’t been brought up before. So, let’s start the rumor mill.
Remember last offseason when the Dolphins made a backdoor attempt to put together a quarterback/coach dream team of Brady and Sean Payton? The Dolphins were sloppy about it and the team and owner Stephen Ross got a slap on the wrist from the NFL for tampering.
Maybe the Brady/Payton pairing finally could happen in another Florida city a year later. There wouldn’t be as many hoops to jump through and things wouldn’t be as complicated as what the Dolphins faced. There’s a clear path for the Bucs, Brady and Payton to make it happen.
Sure, there’s the matter of compensation to New Orleans because Payton technically had time left on his contract when he “retired’’ after the 2021 season. Payton is the hottest coach on the market right now and that’s mainly because he’s the best coach on the market right now and he’s being pursued by the Panthers, Broncos, Cardinals and Texans.
In a recent interview with Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd, Payton said that New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis is making it clear to all potential suitors that the price for compensation will be a mid- to late-first-round draft pick.
To some, that might sound steep. But, if history is any indicator, the Bucs, who will have a pick that fits that description, might view that price tag as a bargain. Heck, they might even throw in a little extra to get the Saints to allow Payton to go to an NFC South rival.
Glazers already pulled blockbuster coach deal
The Bucs are owned by the Glazer family, which has deep ties to the Palm Beach community. The Glazers prefer to stay out of the spotlight. But, when it comes to running the Bucs, they haven’t been afraid to secretly make blockbuster deals – including a famous one for a coach.
Back in 2002, Bryan and Joel Glazer worked out a deal with Raiders owner Al Davis for coach Jon Gruden. In exchange, the Bucs gave two first-round picks and two second-round picks and $8 million to the Raiders. It was all worthwhile because Gruden won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Bucs.
If the matter of compensation for Payton is resolved, everything else could happen quickly. Yeah, the Bucs currently have coach Todd Bowles in place, but that’s no big deal. When Brady ended his 40-day retirement last year, part of the deal was to push coach Bruce Arians into an undefined front-office role that wound up looking more like the witness protection program.
Arians carried a lot more weight (literally and figuratively) than Bowles does. Bowles easily could end up being the goat for this season. Brady could continue being the GOAT with an offensive mastermind like Payton.
Drew Brees and Payton did fantastic things together in New Orleans and a lot of people forget that came despite Brees having some limitations. Brees injured his shoulder while playing for the San Diego Chargers early in his career and never fully regained his arm strength. When Brees left the Chargers as a free agent, the Dolphins and Saints were the only teams interested.
Both brought him in for a look by their medical staffs. Miami’s doctors advised that it was best to stay clear of Brees. Payton, who was rebuilding a team in a city devastated by Hurricane Katrina, took a leap of faith on Brees. The coach worked around Brees’ limitations and the Saints had a spectacular offense.
Even at his advanced age, Brady has a much stronger arm than Brees ever did while setting records in New Orleans. The possibilities for Brady and Payton (throw in receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as well) could be endless.
Brady's other NFL options dwindling
When you contrast Brady’s other potential options with a pairing with Payton in Tampa, there really is no comparison. Doors already may be shut in Miami – where the Dolphins are saying they will stick with Tua Tagovailoa as their starter – and San Francisco – where Brock Purdy is looking like the second coming of Joe Montana.
That basically leaves Tennessee and Las Vegas. The Titans clearly know that former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill isn’t the answer. But they’re headed for rebuilding mode and why would someone like Brady want a situation like that?
Brady has deep ties to Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels from their time together in New England. But the Raiders were 6-11 this season and they’re much more than one player away from being a Super Bowl contender.
That begs one question: Are the current Bucs a Super Bowl contender? No, this isn’t 2020 when they clearly were a quarterback away. They are flawed in several areas, most notably the offensive line.
But give general manager Jason Licht an offseason to patch the holes and put Brady and Payton together. Payton and Brady each have big egos and that’s not a bad thing. Brady wants an eighth Super Bowl title and Payton wants his second. They could see joining forces in Tampa Bay as the best way to realize their goals.
They just might be right. Brady’s best option might be staying in his marriage to the Bucs, after all.
Pat Yasinskas is a Tampa-based freelance writer. He has covered the NFL for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Bucs marriage might not be over
