Tom Brady's Next Team: Ranking All 32 Possible Destinations For The Quarterback In 2020 Free Agency
Tom Brady is set to officially become a free agent on March 18, and the quarterback is reportedly giving serious consideration to signing with a new team. Some insiders believe the greatest NFL player of all time is likely to leave the New England Patriots, while others fully expect him to return for a 21st season in Foxborough.
No one knows for sure what Brady is going to do, and that probably includes Brady himself. What’s certain is that there will be no shortage of teams trying to acquire the six-time Super Bowl champion.
Where will Brady play in the 2020 NFL season? Here’s a ranking of all 32 possible destinations.
1) New England Patriots
The Patriots are still odds-on favorites at U.S. sportsbooks to sign Brady. New England remains a Super Bowl contender after going 12-4 with the best defense in football and the greatest coach ever. The Patriots could convince Brady to stay by acquiring at least one key playmaker and paying the 42-year-old upwards of $30 million per season.
2) Tennessee Titans
If Tennessee doesn’t use the franchise tag on Ryan Tannehill, the Titans become the most logical team to lure Brady away from New England. Tennessee beat the Patriots in the playoffs and reached the 2020 AFC Championship Game.
3) Los Angeles Chargers
There’s speculation that the Chargers will throw a ton of money at Brady in hopes of becoming relevant during their first year in a new stadium. If Brady leaves New England, it might be to play in Los Angeles with a talented group of playmakers as the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback.
4) Las Vegas Raiders
A difficult division, lack of Pro-Bowl playmakers and a subpar defense seemingly make the Raiders a bad fit for Brady. However, rumors suggest the quarterback could be interested in playing for Jon Gruden in Las Vegas.
5) Chicago Bears
The Bears have yet to pick up the fifth-year option for Mitchell Trubisky, who doesn’t look like a franchise quarterback. Chicago’s defense could give Brady a chance to get back to the Super Bowl.
6) Indianapolis Colts
The Colts play in a very winnable division with an offensive line that would provide Brady with plenty of protection. Indianapolis might have made last season’s playoffs with a better quarterback than Jacoby Brissett.
7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are likely to franchise Jameis Winston, though the team is weighing its options. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin could make Tampa Bay an attractive destination for any free-agent quarterback.
8) Miami Dolphins
It’s not inconceivable that Brady could spend a year or two enjoying Miami as he grooms Tua Tagovailoa to be the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future.
9) Denver Broncos
John Elway convinced Peyton Manning to end his career in Denver. The Broncos still haven’t been able to replace the legendary quarterback, missing the playoffs in four straight years despite a good defense.
10) New York Giants
Executives and coaches around the NFL reportedly view the Giants as a possible suitor for Brady. It’s hard to believe Brady would actually join a team that’s gone 12-36 in the last three seasons and has one of the league’s worst defenses.
11) Dallas Cowboys
There’s little chance the Cowboys would actually trade Dak Prescott and sign Brady, who is 16 years older than Dallas’ signal caller. But anything is possible with Jerry Jones running the show.
12) San Francisco 49ers
The idea that San Francisco might replace Jimmy Garoppolo with Brady is an interesting sports radio topic, given Garoppolo’s poor Super-Bowl performance. But the 49ers are highly unlikely to move on from the 28-year-old quarterback that almost led them to a title a few weeks ago.
13) Carolina Panthers
Carolina is expected to hold onto Cam Newton unless they are blown away with a trade offer. Playing under head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady might be an intriguing proposition.
14) Cleveland Browns
The Browns are still planning for Baker Mayfield to be their franchise quarterback. Brady might be curious about what kind of season he could have with Odell Beckham, Landry Jones and Nick Chubb.
15) Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz is one of the best quarterbacks in the league when healthy and signed to a lucrative contract. He has also watched the final game of the last three seasons on the sidelines because of injuries.
16) Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh might make a lot of sense for Brady if Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t going to be healthy next season, but it sounds like the Steelers will have the two-time champion back under center in Week 1.
17) Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins only has one year left on his contract, and the Vikings have enough talent on both sides of the ball to compete at the top of the NFC. Cousins’ $31 million cap hit and a poor offensive line will keep Brady out of Minnesota.
18) Washington Redskins
If Dwayne Haskins isn’t Washington’s quarterback next season, it’s probably because the Redskins drafted Tagovailoa second overall. Brady isn’t joining the NFC’s worst team.
19) Detroit Lions
The Lions won’t move on from Matthew Stafford because doing so would give Detroit $32 million in dead money. Stafford was among the league’s best quarterbacks before getting hurt last season.
20) New York Jets
It’s unlikely that there’d be much interest on either side. The Jets hope Sam Darnold is a franchise quarterback, and Brady isn’t winning a title in New York next year.
21) Buffalo Bills
The Bills finished two games behind the Patriots in the AFC East last season in Josh Allen’s second year. Buffalo would love to see Brady go elsewhere so they can win the division in 2020.
22) Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan is still putting up good numbers, and his $24 million cap hit all but ensures that he’s not going anywhere.
23) Arizona Cardinals
Arizona won’t replace their first-round quarterback for the second year in a row. Kyler Murray had an encouraging rookie season.
24) Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are stuck with Jared Goff and his $36 million cap hit in 2020.
25) Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Foles’ $22 million cap hit limits the Jaguars’ quarterback options. There’s virtually no chance Brady would decide to play in Jacksonville.
26) New Orleans Saints
No official agreement has been made yet, but Drew Brees has said he’s returning to New Orleans next season.
27) Cincinnati Bengals
Brady won’t join a 2-14 team. Cincinnati is all but certain to select Joe Burrow with the No.1 pick in the NFL Draft.
28) Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers will be back for another season as Green Bay’s quarterback.
29) Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson might be Houston’s starting quarterback for the next decade.
30) Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson will be back with the Ravens after being named the unanimous 2019 NFL MVP.
31) Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson is the best quarterback in the NFC.
32) Kansas City Chiefs
Two words: Patrick Mahomes.
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