NFL Rumors: Tom Brady Almost Joined Miami Dolphins Before Returning To Buccaneers

Tom Brady has been linked to the Miami Dolphins in various rumors over the last several weeks. One report indicated that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross tried to illegally lure Brady to Miami when he was still under contract elsewhere, and there have even been suggestions that Brady could be traded to the Dolphins after unretiring and returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel called the idea that Miami might acquire Brady “fake news.” While it might be safe to close the book on Brady to Miami for the upcoming season, that doesn’t mean the two sides didn’t come close to joining forces.

According to ProFootballTalk, Brady retired with the intention of becoming a minority owner of the Dolphins. The eventual plan was for Miami to hire Sean Payton as its head coach and make Brady the starting quarterback after acquiring his rights from the Buccaneers, the report states.

Brady retired with one year left on his contract. Tampa Bay couldn’t have prevented the quarterback from becoming part-owner of Miami, but they would’ve had to agree to let Brady play for another team next season.

The lawsuit filed by former head coach Brian Flores against the Dolphins scrapped those plans, PFT reports. Brady’s retirement didn’t even last two months, another indication that he might’ve decided to return to the Bucs when plans for Miami fell through.

Last month, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin said that Brady considered joining the Dolphins’ ownership group.

Shortly after Brady informed the Bucs that he would return for the 2022 NFL season, Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians told the team he was retiring. Arians has denied rumors that he walked away from the sidelines because of friction with Brady.

Brady will be a free agent and able to sign with any team for the 2023 season.