Why Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes sense

Tom Brady is heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington.

The former Michigan Wolverines and New England Patriots quarterback isn’t joining the Bucs to cash in a paycheck, his eyes are on hoisting up yet another Lombardi Trophy. Brady heading to Tampa signifies he believes the team has enough talent to make a run deep into the playoffs.

Brady joins a Tampa Bay offense that ranked No. 1 in passing yards and No. 3 in passing touchdowns in 2019. The Bucs have two All-Pro wideouts in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, two reliable tight ends in O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, along with pass-catching running back Ronald Jones. The missing piece for Tampa Bay last season was a quarterback that wasn’t turnover-prone. Tampa goes from having Jameis Winston, the only QB in league history to throw for over 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, to Brady, who threw an interception on just 1.3% of his attempts last season.

Brady’s supporting cast is quite an upgrade over last season in New England, where there was virtually no running game to help him out and rarely an open receiver to throw to. Now, Brady will be part of a scheme that will be the most aggressive he’s been a part of since Randy Moss was on the Patriots. While Brady is known for his short-to-intermediate passing prowess, he’s still been one of the most accurate passers 20-plus yards downfield the past twenty years. Brady will now have a wideout in Godwin that can be his Julian Edelman type option, with Evans operating as his new Moss.

There’s also the appeal of playing for head coach Bruce Arians, who’s worked well with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Andrew Luck in the past. A two-time AP Coach of the Year, Arians is the kind of coach who makes it a point of emphasis to have a good relationship with his starting quarterback. The same goes for Brady, who will surely be attached at the hip with Arians with game-prep and scheme implementation.

But wait, there’s more. Tampa general manager Jason Licht was a scout for the Patriots all the way back in 2000, the year Brady was drafted, and the two have had a good relationship ever since. When you look at all the different criteria Brady was looking for in a new home, maybe even warm weather included, Tampa definitely checked off more than an adequate amount of boxes.

The Buccaneers will look to bolster their roster more in free agency and at the NFL Draft, but they now have the greatest quarterback of all time on their team, albeit the 42 year old version of him. The Bucs host the Super Bowl next season, and how wild would it be if Brady brought a title home during his first season in Tampa. Bruce Arians is arguably one of the best head coaches to never win a Super Bowl as a head coach, and now he’s in prime position to get it done.