Tom Brady Stats: Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Should Improve Numbers In 2020 After Leaving Patriots

Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, raising several interesting questions regarding the quarterback’s 2020 season.

How will Brady do without Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots? Is he entering the twilight of his career?

In his 20th NFL season, Brady’s stats finally started to reflect his age. At 42 years old, the six-time champion put up pedestrian numbers.

Brady finished 19th among qualified quarterbacks with an 88.0 passer rating. He was 27th with a 60.8 completion percentage, ranking behind Jacoby Brissett, Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold. Brady’s 6.6 yards per attempt were also 27th in the NFL. His 24 passing touchdowns put him at 13th overall.

With 4,057 passing yards, Brady cracked the top-10, ranking seventh. He only threw eight interceptions, tying him for seventh-best among quarterbacks that started at least 15 games.

The interception rate is an important stat for Brady because it’s one that’s remained consistent for years. The quarterback never threw more than 12 interceptions in a season during the last decade, posting the league’s best interception rate four times. It could be a sign that the dip in Brady’s production was largely the result of a weak supporting cast.

Julian Edelman was Brady’s only reliable receiver in 2019, and the veteran battled through injuries toward the end of the year. Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry weren’t giving the signal caller much help.

Things will be much different with the Bucs, who arguably have the NFL’s best receiving corps.

Chris Godwin was third in the league last season with 1,333 receiving yards. Mike Evans has recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in all six of his NFL seasons. Rob Gronkowski, the greatest tight end of all time, is reuniting with Brady in Tampa Bay after a year off.

Jameis Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019 in Bruce Arians’ first year as Tampa Bay’s head coach. The quarterback was second with 33 touchdown passes. Winston’s downfall was a league-high 30 interceptions and seven pick-sixes, which is why he’s now Drew Brees’ backup with the New Orleans Saints.

With the same weapons—plus Gronkowski—in Arians’ offense, Brady has a chance to rank near the top of the league in yards and touchdowns while committing fewer turnovers than Winston.

Before missing the Pro Bowl last season, Brady made the Pro Bowl in 10 straight years.

Brady threw for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 97.7 passer rating in 2018. He won the 2017 NFL MVP award at 40 years old, leading the league with 4,577 yards while throwing for 32 touchdowns, eight picks and a 102.8 passer rating.