Brady down to Patriots & Bucs?
Tom Brady is reportedly down to two teams: the Patriots and Buccaneers. Which of those teams have the best odds to sign the free agent at offshore books?
NBC Sports’ Chris Simms reports that Brady is down to the Patriots and Buccaneers, although he also notes that the six-time Super Bowl champion’s top choice was the 49ers. San Francisco, however, is committed to Jimmy Garoppolo as its franchise signal-caller and thus, Brady is down to either returning to Foxborough or headed to sunny Tampa to finish out his career. Tennessee has been a popular option for Brady over the past couple months, but the Titans officially brought back Ryan Tannehill on Sunday.
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com, the Patriots have the best odds to roster Brady by Week 1of the 2020 NFL regular season. They have odds of 5/8, followed by the Bucs at 3/2. The odds drop from there, with the Chargers listed at 6/1 to sign Brady and the Raiders listed at 20/1. The 49ers, despite being committed to Garoppolo, still have 25/1 odds, while the Colts are listed at 50/1, followed by the Cowboys at 60/1.
Circling back to Simms’ report, Brady is weighing whether or not to return to Foxborough on an average deal or moving to Florida to sign a more lucrative contract to pair up with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in head coach Bruce Arians’ system. Simms ultimately predicts that Brady will sign with the Patriots, but perhaps a third team will emerge at some point over the next week. There’s also a belief that Bill Belichick is ready to move on from his long-term quarterback and go with a younger option like current backup Jarrett Stidham.
For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud reported that the Bucs were going “all in” on Brady in free agency. As Stroud noted, “It’s hope. This is fact, not fantasy. This is the plan. This is the Bucs’ play.” Jameis Winston has been the team’s starting quarterback the past five seasons but the team appears ready to move on from the free agent.