With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggling, and with Tom Brady’s contract set to expire after this season, there are plenty of rumors suggesting he could take his talents elsewhere in 2023.
The Buccaneers have struggled with consistency through 14 weeks, as they sit just 6-7 with four games to go. Despite the losing record, Brady and Tampa Bay sit first in the NFC South Division as they await a home meeting with Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Until Brady makes an announcement on his future, speculation about potential landing spots in 2023 will continue to float around.
Well-known sports journalist Bill Simmons of The Ringer offered an enticing suggestion that involves Brady going back to the New England Patriots…with a current NFL head coach reuniting with him in Foxborough.
Speaking on the latest edition of “The ManningCast” during the Patriots’ road game against the Arizona Cardinals (h/t Alex Reimer of WEEI), Simmons brought up the possibility of Brady returning to New England with Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury:
“I don’t think Brady is going to retire. I don’t think he’s going to be in Tampa next year. I do wonder, is there a possibility he could come back next year? A farewell thing. You know how much he means to Bob Kraft…
Maybe it’s Kliff Kingsbury. If the Cards go 4-13, is Kliff Kingsbury coming back? Who knows.”
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Brady left the Patriots after 20 seasons back in 2020, having chosen to sign a two-year contract with Tampa Bay in free agency. The move obviously paid huge dividends, as Brady led the organization to a Super Bowl 55 championship in his first season there.
Kingsbury was a standout quarterback at Texas Tech, and the Patriots used a 2003 sixth-round draft pick on him. He was on the Patriots’ roster that won Super Bowl 38.
The Buccaneers have dealt with an array of injuries on the offensive line, and Brady simply hasn’t been on the same page as star wideout Mike Evans for much of the season. Might Tampa’s struggles prompt Brady to seek a new home in 2022? Only time will tell.
Brady initially retired on Feb. 1 following the Bucs’ NFC Divisional Round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. 40 days later, however, the seven-time Super Bowl champion announced that he was coming back for his 23rd season.
For now, Brady and the Bucs need to focus on getting back on track and taking the NFC South division crown.
