Julian Edelman believes time’s up on Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
While the Buccaneers won the NFC South for the third consecutive season, their 8-9 performance marked Brady’s first losing record in his decorated career. Brady struggled in the team’s 31-14 loss to the Cowboys in their playoff opener Monday night, throwing for just 5.3 yards per attempt and tossing a devastating interception in the end zone in the first half.
Edelman, who caught passes from Brady for 10 seasons in New England, appeared on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” and explained that the writing is on the wall.
“If he has another season, it’s not gonna be in Tampa Bay,” Edelman said. “And, just because, Tom’s a businessman. Tom’s a smart guy. He’s gonna do exactly what he did when he left New England. He’s gonna go to the best situation that helps him win — IF he wants to continue his playing career. I don’t know.”
Edelman predicted that Brady will use the next several weeks to evaluate if he wants to return to the NFL for a 24th season — and where.
“He’ll probably sit these next two weeks, and he’ll hang out with his family, and he’ll assess the situation,” Edelman said.
“I’m sure he has a routine now, because he’s probably been thinking about this these last three or four years on, you know, ‘Am I gonna play, am I not gonna play?’ You know, I’ll give him a call and bug him a couple times and see if he’ll give me anything. He probably won’t, but I’ll let you guys know in a couple weeks.”
There is no shortage of potential destinations should Brady opt to continue playing. The most prominent rumors and innuendo have focused on a return to New England, where the offense sputtered in Mac Jones’ second season at quarterback, the Raiders, where he’d have a reunion with former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and the Dolphins, who surreptitiously tried to make a run at him before.
Other franchises that are plausibly in need of a quarterback include the Jets, Texans, Colts, Falcons, Saints, Panthers and Commanders.