Tom Brady-to-Miami is back on the table. A source “with general knowledge of the various dynamics regarding all things Brady” told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that a move to the Dolphins is “definitely on the table.”
This obviously isn’t the first time that Brady has been connected to the organization. Miami’s previous pursuit of the quarterback led to a tampering scandal that resulted in significant penalties for the organization and their owner, Stephen Ross. Either way, the Dolphins clearly had Brady’s ear as they looked to team the future Hall of Famer with head coach Sean Payton. Thanks in part to Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the Dolphins, that plan was scrapped, and following a brief retirement, Brady ended back in Tampa Bay.
The 45-year-old will hit free agency this offseason, providing no barriers to him joining the Dolphins. As opposed to his last trip to free agency, Brady should have more than a couple of teams competing for his services. It remains to be seen if Brady would still be interested in moving to Miami, but among the hypothetical suitors, they’d make sense from a roster standpoint.
Another major part of this story revolves around current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If the Dolphins do land Brady, Florio said it’s uncertain if the Dolphins would move on from Tua or if they’d keep him as a backup. If the organization can find another team that would “assume the concussion risks,” then the incumbent QB would be a natural trade candidate. His $4.7MM financial commitment in 2023 certainly isn’t a concern for the Dolphins or any trade suitors, so either route wouldn’t be overly surprising.
Brady’s third season in Tampa Bay saw him complete 66.8 percent of his passes for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Despite an 8-9 record, the Buccaneers qualified for the postseason. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, guided the Dolphins to an 8-5 record in 13 starts, tossing a career-high 25 touchdowns vs. only eight interceptions. He won’t start their Wild Card matchup against the Bills as he continues to sit in concussion protocol.
Didn’t learn from the last time, Miami?
Their cap situation is already a mess. Brady would presumably take less than market rate, but even cutting Byron Jones and Cedrick Wilson ain’t gonna get them all that far under the cap.
NYJ
Why would a team want to move on from a potential franchise QB in order to sign a 46 year old QB who could retire after any given season? As a Jets fan, I’d welcome this move. Two seasons max of the Dolphins being an elite team (and that’s if Brady doesn’t continue regressing), then it’s back to trying to solve their QB position.
Look who their owner is. That tells you all you need to know
With most likely 3 concussions this year alone for Tua, are you sure he’s a potential franchise quarterback? They could keep him as a backup next season. A lot of people are urging Tua to retire
The concussion history contributed to my thinking when giving the “potential” franchise QB label. Since I suspect there’s no way Tua retires, I think we’ll find out soon enough how badly the injuries have affected him.
Jay Cutler had 15 concussions in his career and Favre is known to have had around 20 (although he’s stated he suspects he suffered 1000– which seems hyperbolic), so I’m sure he could keep going. That said, concussions are treated differently now than even 5-10 years ago, which is definitely good, so maybe Tua will call it a career sooner.
Favre was probably saying that to lay his defense foundation
Good point!
Makes sense. Dolphins have no choice but to address their QB situation. Both short and long term. However, given his divorce, as well as the whole FTX situation…I’m assuming Brady isn’t going to take much of a discount from whoever he signs with. No questioning the fit tho. Brady likes playing in Florida and that team certainly has weapons.
Brady doesn’t have to worry about money. He has a massive contract to be an analyst for Fox when he hangs em up for good.
Agree. Not about the money. Would it be a surprise to find out his goal is to play, and at a high level, in to his 50s? Whomever offers him that opportunity is who he goes with?
Brady clearly wants to cement a Dolphins front office position – which got thwarted last year – thus he can again be a hero by rescuing Tua.
I hate Brady more than any other athlete but as a Dolphins fan I’d welcome him. Tua just isn’t that guy. Seems like a great dude and he’s a solid QB but he just can’t stay healthy. His career might be over at this point. Then again, Grier or whoever the GM will be needs to finally fix the revolving door that is the OL.
If the Dolphins get to have Brady come to the team after the fiasco from last year, that would be an utter disgrace.
I don’t think that the other owners would be fans, either.
Why? Brady is a FA and the Dolphins have already been punished. I’m not a Brady fan myself but I am a fan of choice and if Brady wants to play in Miami, he should be allowed. I think I read somewhere that Giselle lives there now so why shouldn’t Brady be able to be near his kids?
Because Brady was never punished. Brady certainly knows the rules of what is appropriate and what isn’t. He’s been in the league longer than anyone else as a player, and was rostered by a coach and franchise long known for its emphasis on learning the rule book. Only Ross received a punishment, which was rather paltry, especially if the Dolphins and Brady end up getting what they wanted to anyway after only a year.
This is aside from whatever sentiment an owner may have over Brady’s/New England’s past transgressions and the appropriateness of punishments afforded to them-sentiments that we know still exist in the league. If an owner didn’t feel this second motivation before, there is also the potential for him or her to feel that way afterward. Either way, whether an owner feels that way or not, I don’t think that any would appreciate being flaunted only a year after the initial incident. Some may even just decide that they’ll do the same thing themselves-one season and a easily overcome penalty is not much to pay for someone who will control the franchise for the rest of his/her life.
Has any player ever been punished for tampering? I don’t believe so. You can hate Brady all you want but he’s a FA and he gets to pick who he plays for. It’s quite simple really
Okay, I get that you’re a Brady fan, but that doesn’t change how people will perceive his going to Miami. The fact is, he was under contract in Tampa, and decided to negotiate terms with another team. League provisions for punishing him or not, it doesn’t change the perception that that was wrong. The outcome becoming the same would be disgraceful. I don’t understand the need to defend him here. He did something shady, and he may get away with it. There should a standard for judging behavior, Tom Brady or not.
My supposed hatred of Brady aside, the fact remains that he did what he did. The league has rules against it. If he does what he wanted to do all along a year later without any consequences it is a disgrace to the league because it shows how truly inept it is even at enforcing rules that it already has in place. It just shows weakness on the NFL’s part. The player involved happens to Tom Brady. If it were any other random player, I very highly doubt that anyone would go out of their way to defend him. I think we all know what Brady’s rights as a free agent are. That doesn’t change the appropriateness of his behavior.
I live in Tampa…very fond of Brady. Any Brady haters hate only b/c he’s a perennial winner. I’d hate to lose him…but entirely understand why he’d want to play for and retire as a Dolphin. His kids live there now; his forever home is being built there; looks like there’s a percentage of the team on the table…perhaps a front office position after he retires. Now, throw Sean Peyton into the mix and Miami will never be the same. I say he goes for it! Again, would hate to lose him but if we must, I love the idea of him being a Dolphin.