The Tennessee Titans are hoping that if Tom Brady can’t beat them, he might just join them.
A new report from ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler claims that the Titans are planning to make a major run at Brady when he hits free agency and that they have what it takes to lure him away from the New England Patriots. The Titans have been seen as a frontrunner in the race to land Brady and would have a strong case to make, CBS Sports noted.
The Titans benched former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota this year in favor of veteran Ryan Tannehill, who helped lead the team to a win over the Patriots. But it is not clear if the Titans will stick with Tannehill, and there are reports that they are looking for a new quarterback to lead a team that otherwise has all the pieces to be a Super Bowl contender.
There could be other advantages for Tennessee in its bid to sign Brady. Titans coach Mike Vrabel has also maintained a close relationship with the future Hall of Fame quarterback, his former teammate during his years as a linebacker for the Patriots, and said this week on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football that they are still close friends.
“Those friendships aren’t just going to stop or not continue to grow and develop now that I’m a head coach and he’s a quarterback with an expiring contract,” Vrabel said. “Those are going to continue on well after we’re done playing with his family, with my family and having the ability to meet Jules and all those players — there’s a special bond that goes on in the locker room and that’s not going to stop.”
There have been other reports suggesting that the Titans are looking for a new quarterback, even if it’s not Brady. As The Inquisitr reported, the Titans have been pegged as one of the teams most interested in Jameis Winston, who was picked on slot ahead of Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft. Winston is expected to generate significant interest despite a season in which he threw a league-leading 30 interceptions. Winston also threw for 33 touchdowns and 5,109 yards.
The report noted that the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins were pegged as interested in Winston as well, but noted that he could still return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady is expected to generate interest from a number of teams and is increasingly expected to leave the Patriots once he hits free agency.