Tom Brady admits he seriously considered joining the Bears in free agency

It’s not often that a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback hits the open market, so it was almost unimaginable that the greatest quarterback in NFL history would become a free agent. But that’s exactly what happened after the 2019 season.

When Tom Brady left the New England Patriots in 2020, he was expected to make a splash in free agency. Instead, there was no major bidding war. Few teams reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.

Naturally, Brady didn’t take kindly to the lack of interest.

“I think what you realize is that there aren’t as many smart people as you think,” Brady thought in 2021, according to The Boston Herald. “That’s just the reality. I think it would be a no-brainer if you said, “Hey, you have a chance to get Wayne Gretzky on your team, or you have a chance to get Michael Jordan on your team.”… “Oh, we need not him, no thanks. ‘We’re fine.’ In my head I’m like, ‘Okay, let me show these teams what they’re missing.'”

And that’s exactly what he did. In his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady led the team to a championship in Super Bowl LV. When he retired in 2022, his influence changed the culture and development of the Buccaneers franchise.

Brady returned to Raymond James Stadium in Week 4, this time as a color analyst for FOX Sports. During the broadcast of the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady revealed that he almost joined another team in free agency: the Chicago Bears.

“Chicago was a team, and I’ve never told this story before. They were very secretive about recruiting and I seriously considered recruiting them,” Brady said. “But in the end it came down to Tampa. And it was close.” to my son, Jack, whom I loved [Buccaneers head coach] Bruce Arians and the role he played on offense. And ultimately the great players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who I still watch today.”

At that time, the Bears were still led by head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Quarterback Nick Foles – who has an interesting relationship with Brady – was also on the roster. Chicago’s wide receiver corps included Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney and Anthony Miller.

It’s easy to see why Brady chose the Buccaneers. Along with Evans and Godwin, Brady helped Tampa Bay acquire tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Antonio Brown. In addition to Brady’s offense, the Buccaneers also featured a dominant defensive front led by Todd Bowles, the team’s defensive coordinator at the time.

Although Chicago beat Brady and the Buccaneers 20-19 in Week 5, they finished the season with a record of 8-8. Meanwhile, Brady helped turn Arians’ offense into a tremendous winning streak after some early struggles.

The Buccaneers started the bye week with a record of 7-5, but did not lose another game after Week 13. In the postseason, they defeated teams led by Jalen Hurts, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes en route to winning the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.