Impending free-agent QB Tom Brady is taking his time to decide on his future, but his Buccaneers teammates believe he has already made up his mind.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, several Buccaneers players walked away from their final interaction with Brady with the impression that he is going to leave the team.
There was a sense that Brady was saying his farewells during his postgame news conference following Tampa Bay’s embarrassing 31-14 loss to Dallas in the wild-card round.
At least three teams will be after the future Hall of Famer this offseason. The Titans, 49ers,and Raiders are all reportedly interested, per Rapoport.
Should Brady leave Tampa Bay, he would leave behind a dead cap hit of $35.1 million.
Brady might prefer Vegas based on his relationship with head coach Josh McDaniels from their days together in New England. The Raiders have already decided to move on from Derek Carr this offseason, and their offense has weapons Brady could be interested in.
A non-football-related reason has also caused the Brady to Las Vegas rumors to escalate. In September, Brady’s health and wellness company, TB12, agreed to a partnership with the luxury resort Wynn Las Vegas. The partnership allows guests to train one-on-one with TB12 body coaches.
The Buccaneers will face a franchise-altering decision if Brady departs. They may pursue one of the veteran quarterbacks on the market, but perhaps a rebuild is in order after an 8-10 season with aging pieces throughout the roster.
