Tom Brady is back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after un-retiring last month. But that wasn’t part of his master plan. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Brady wanted to retire but was slated to become a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins. Brady’s role would have been similar to what Derek Jeter did with the Miami Marlins, and he wanted to join the Dolphins due to his longstanding relationship with team owner Stephen Ross who is a large donor and booster to the Univerity of Michigan, Brady’s alma mater.
However, those plans died when former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against his former team as well as the New York Giants and Denver Broncos for “racism in hiring.” Flores was fired from the Dolphins following the 2021 season, and the team was looking to hire former Saints Sean Payton to lead the team. Since the plan fell through, Brady returned to the Buccaneers to become the starting quarterback for at least one more year. Shortly after Brady’s announcement, Buccaneers head coach Burce Arians stepped down from the position to take on a new role.
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When Arians made the announcement, Brady sent him a message. “Thank you, BA for all that you have done for me and our team,” Brady wrote in an Instagram post. “You are an incredible man and coach, and it was a privilege to play for you. You are a true NFL legend and pioneer for all the work you have done to make the league more diverse and inclusive.”
Brady went on to say that Arians is, “Smart, tough, and loyal are a few of the words to describe your style,” Brady continued. “I will always remember the conversations we had when you recruited me two years ago and all of the things we discussed came true. We all benefited from your leadership and guidance and I’m so proud of everything we accomplished. You were a huge part of the decision to join the Bucs and I’m forever grateful.” Pro Football Talk also reported about Brady joining the Dolphins earlier this month but mentioned that the team was also looking to have him be the starting quarterback. The Buccaneers would still own the rights to Brady had he retired, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion could have asked for a trade if he was part of the Dolphins’ ownership.
