Tom Brady Reportedly Came Very Close to Signing With Surprise NFL Team Over Buccaneers

Tom Brady received a lot of attention for publicly criticizing a team for not signing him in free agency last year. And while he didn't mention the team on his appearance on HBO's The Shop, one NFL insider believes he knows which team Brady is talking about. Jeff Darlington of ESPN appeared on the show Get Up and revealed the team that should most regret not signing Brady.

"I'm gonna say it as clear as day: it's the New Orleans Saints," Darlington said on ESPN, per NESN. "Regret might be a strong word because ultimately Drew Brees decided to delay his broadcasting career and come back for one more season. The Saints did the right thing by bringing Brees back. But I think that people still underestimate how close Tom Brady was to signing with the New Orleans Saints up until he ultimately decided on the Bucs. I know that that's gonna be a statement people try to question. It's the truth."

Brady eventually signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led them to a Super Bowl win. And one of their playoff wins was against Drew Brees and the Saints. Brees retired from the NFL shortly after losing to Brady and the Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

"Here's the deal: [Saints coach]Sean Payton cannot look back and say, 'Man, I would have loved to have Tom Brady last year,' because it would also have meant that they have him for a few more years moving forward," Darlington added. "No question in my mind. The Saints, despite understanding they did what they had to do, there's a little bit of — let's call it regret — that Tom Brady is not their quarterback."

With Brady back for another season, the Buccaneers are looked at as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl again. For the Saints, the loss of Brees puts them in an interesting position as they will find out if Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston can be the starting quarterback for 2021 and beyond. Brady's Super Bowl win earlier this year was the seventh of his career. He won his first six with the New England Patriots and has played in 10 Super Bowls overall. He also won the Super Bowl MVP award for the fifth time in his career.