Now that the NFL season has come to an end, the focus will be free agency and one of the more interesting pending free agents is Tom Brady. He has made it clear he wants to play in 2020, but he hasn’t made it clear if he wants to play for the New England Patriots or another team this fall. The Patriots want him back because of what he’s meant to the franchise the last 20 years. In fact, they are willing to pay him $30 million a year to stay in New England according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
At this point in his career, Brady has nothing to prove as he has won six Super Bowls, four Super Bowl MVP awards and three MVP awards. And while it makes the most sense to stay in New England, it’s likely he welcomes the challenge of winning a Super Bowl with another organization.
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“I’m open-minded about the process,” Brady said in his weekly interview with Westwood One radio last month. “At the same time, I love playing football and I want to continue to play and do a great job. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead. Whatever the future may bring, I’ll embrace it with open arms.”
Brady’s former teammate, Rob Gronkowski, believes he has the right to test the market because of the way he has played his entire career.
“He’s been playing for so long, and just the way that he’s been playing, the level he’s been playing at, he definitely deserves an opportunity to go out there and test the market,” Gronkowski said.
“You’ve never done it before in your career,” the Fox Sports personality added. “He’s going to be a free agent for the first time ever so good for him, go test out the market and then do what’s best for himself. That’s the decision that he has to make, what’s best for himself, what’s best for his family.”
If Brady doesn’t re-sign with the Patriots, there will be a few teams looking to sign him. One team to watch for the Los Angeles Chargers as they are not bringing back veteran quarterback Philip Rivers for 2020. Another is the Las Vegas Raiders as they will look to make a pitch to Brady if he moves on from the Patriots.
