Tom Brady To Tennessee? Titans Have Better Chance Than Raiders, Chargers To Sign Free-Agent QB

The Tennessee Titans are emerging as the biggest threat to lure Tom Brady away from the New England Patriots. When the greatest quarterback of all-time hits free agency in just a few weeks, he’s expected to seriously consider joining the team that knocked him out of the 2020 NFL playoffs.

The latest betting odds suggest that Tennessee is New England’s top competition. The Patriots are still the odds-on favorites in the Tom Brady Sweepstakes with -280 odds at FanDuel Sportbook. The Titans are second at +550.

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington pegged Tennessee one of the favorites to sign Brady on “The Adam Schefter Podcast” last week. The Titans were a long shot, according to actual oddsmakers, at the time.

In the wake of New England’s early playoff exit, the Las Vegas Raiders (+650 odds) and Los Angeles Chargers (+1500 odds) were viewed as Brady’s top possible destinations. Tennessee could make more sense for the quarterback as he looks to compete for the Super Bowl in his age-43 season and beyond.

The Titans arguably give Brady the best chance of any suitor to win another championship. That includes the Patriots, whom Tennessee beat at Gillette Stadium on Wild-Card Weekend. The Titans trounced the No.1 seed Baltimore Ravens and MVP Lamar Jackson in the divisional playoffs before losing to the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Los Angeles went 5-11 in the 2019 season, finishing in last place in the AFC West despite a talented group of playmakers. The Raiders went 7-9 for a third straight season with no receivers elected to the Pro Bowl.

Much has been made about the lack of offensive help Brady had last season in New England. Tennessee has the NFL’s leading rusher in Derrick Henry, who is unsigned but could be prevented from reaching the open market with the franchise tag. A.J. Brown had 1,051 receiving yards in his rookie year, looking like a future Pro Bowler with over 100 yards per game in the final six weeks of the regular season.

Tennessee’s defense led the way in its two playoff wins. The Titans were 12th in points allowed last season.

Brady’s former teammate, Mike Vrabel, has led the Titans to a winning season in both years as Tennessee's head coach. The Titans, Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks are the only NFL teams that have finished above .500 in at least four straight seasons.

Tennessee might decide it's not interested in signing Brady. Ryan Tannehill was an MVP-caliber quarterback in the regular season, starting 10 games after replacing Marcus Mariota. He led the league with a 117.5 passer rating.

Tannehill is 11 years younger than Brady and also headed for free agency. The Titans can keep the signal caller with the franchise tag, which they’ve got the opportunity to use Thursday.

The Titans can end any speculation by locking up Tannehill for at least one more season. Otherwise, rumors about Brady potentially heading to Tennessee could heat up even more.