Eli Manning Predicts Tom Brady Will Have 'Tough' First Season With Buccaneers

With Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots and signing a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there's a lot of excitement for the 2020 NFL season. Fans want to see if Brady can succeed with the Bucs after spending 20 seasons in New England. While some experts believe Tampa is now a Super Bowl favorite, one former NFL player doesn't believe Brady will get off to a fast start. Eli Manning was on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday and had an interesting prediction for Brady.

"I think it's gonna be tough for him, just the fact he can't be doing everything he wants to be doing with the team and getting ready,'" the former New York Giants quarterback said, as transcribed by the New York Post. "Obviously they have some playmakers at receiver there, when you got talented receivers it makes it a little bit easier to get on the same page with 'em. "It will be interesting how it all plays out and how quickly he can just adjust to a new organization and new players and new offense, all those new things, especially with the limited timing he's gonna have being with them."

With the coronavirus pandemic going on in the country, NFL teams can't meet with each other, so Manning has a point when it comes to Brady having limited time to work with his teammates before the season begins. The good news his one of Brady targets is tight end Rob Gronkowski. He retired from football last year but decided to return once he learned Brady has moved on from New England. The Patriots still had control of Gronk, which led to the team trading him to the Bucs.

As for Manning, he's enjoying the retired life as he called it an NFL career earlier this year. Manning's legacy has been debated because of his passer rating (84.1) and the number of interceptions he threw in his career (244). However, Manning, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2004, led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins, and both of those victories came against Brady and the Patriots. Manning is also a two-time Super Bowl MVP winner, making him one of only five players in NFL history to win the award multiple times.