To steal a line from John Lennon, nobody told Tom Brady there'd be days like these. (Most peculiar, Mama. Roll.) Under .500. Finding himself struggling to score points and in the middle of the pack in the league in terms of passer rating. His demeanor on and off the field being called into question. His relationship with his coaches appearing to be strained. Beefing with his teammates at times. People wondering aloud if he wouldn't have been better off retiring after last season on a high note, more or less. In terms of performance if not with a ring.
Which begs the question of if they do come back, where will that be? Again, focusing strictly on Brady, there's one potential landing spot that is the sexiest possibility of all. One that has been out there being discussed for a while. I was asked about it by Toucher & Rich on The Sports Hub a month ago. And once the EMTs hit me with the NARCAN and brought me back from the brink of death, I dismissed it as mere sports radio fodder. Red meat for the morning drive audience. Based on sheer speculation and nothing more. But they are not alone:
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, who has covered the Patriots for more than a decade, said, "Don’t ever write off the Patriots," in a recent article that broke down where the veteran quarterback might play next season if he decides he wants to return for a 24th campaign in the NFL.
It seemed like Brady was forever done wearing red, white and navy blue when he moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ended up winning a Super Bowl there. But, as he’s set to be a free agent once again after this season, Howe believes a reunion could be in the cards.
"The Patriots are slated to have more than $50 million in cap space in 2023, so they can again address their flaws, this time on the heels of a couple impressive draft classes," Howe said.
"Brady and [head coach] Bill Belichick still have an abundance of respect for one another. They’ve made points to say it publicly on multiple occasions since the QB departed for Tampa.
Howe added that no "egos" or "pride" would get in the way of Brady returning if it came down to that. Instead, the offensive play-calling under Matt Patricia would be questioned by Brady to make sure that he wouldn’t be wasting his 24th season, considering that his days in the league are numbered (or so we all thought after he retired then decided not to in the same offseason).
But on the Patriots’ end, they would also like to know what Brady plans to do. If it’s a year-to-year decision, they may be less likely to want a reunion, especially after Mac Jones, the team’s current starter, was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft to be their quarterback of the future.
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