Tom Brady’s next stop could be the Big Apple.
As the New England Patriots legend prepares to test free agency for the first time in his career, reports indicate that close to a dozen teams are interested in signing him. The New York Jets and New York Giants could be among them, Dale Arnold of WEEI is reporting. The Patriots insider this week said that despite the Jets and Giants both locked in with young quarterbacks seen as the future of the franchises, each is considering making a run at Brady.
“I have been told as many as 11 teams may have already indicated to the Brady camp that there is some interest. I have been told that the Redskins are interested. The next two probably would shock you, because I was told the Jets may be interested, and Joe Judge may be interested for the New York Giants,” Arnold said on Wednesday.
While many expect Brady to eventually re-sign with the Patriots, he was noncommittal over the course of the season and gave some indications that his time in New England could be coming to an end. Both Brady and his personal trainer put their Boston-area homes up for sale, and Tom himself gave hint that he was looking forward to testing the open market.
As NJ.com noted, the Giants could be a fitting landing spot given that former Patriots special teams coordinator is now the team’s head coach. But doing so would mean sending what would be the second-year quarterback Daniel Jones to the bench for the entirety of Brady’s tenure, or the team trying to find a trade partner for the player who had an uneven rookie season after taking over the starting job from Eli Manning. The Jets would have to pause the development of Sam Darnold after investing the No. 3 overall pick to land him.
While a number of teams have been connected to Brady, the Jets and Giants have not been included in most of those lists. This week, The Action Network tweeted odds on where he would end up next season, with the Patriots the far-and-away favorite. The Los Angeles Chargers, who will be looking for a new quarterback after reports that they have moved on from Philip Rivers, were the most likely team to snag Brady away from the team he has been on since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.