Tom Brady’s Reveal Is Most Meaningful For Miami
Syndication: Arizona Republic
In 2022, the NFL found Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross guilty of tampering with seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady which resulted in Ross’ suspension with the Dolphins being forced to forfeit their 2023 first round and 2024 third round draft picks. Since then, the arrival of head coach Mike McDaniel helped Tua Tagovailoa play some of the best football of his young career which quelled the Tom Brady to Miami rumors once and for all.
Or so we thought. For a while, Tom Brady didn’t seem to have any desire to come out of retirement. However in a recent interview, Brady cracked the door open for a potential NFL return, albeit under extremely specific circumstances. Tom Brady said he’d only consider a return if a playoff team needed an emergency QB. The Raiders and Patriots were among the teams Brady mentioned, but he also added that you never really know who’ll actually need an emergency QB, so it appears that he’s keeping his options open.
So does that mean that Tom Brady is still in play for the Dolphins? Not necessarily. Even though Tom Brady is now open to a return to the NFL, the Dolphins may not be as interested in Brady as they once were. General Manager Chris Grier remains committed to Tua Tagovailoa long-term as the Dolphins front office continues negotiations on a contract extension with Tua’s representation. The more obvious roadblock is that Tom Brady is still retired unless he says otherwise.
However, things could change quickly on that front if Tua Tagovailoa suffers another injury. Tua has dealt with his fair share of injuries, including two concussions in 2022 with the second one forcing Tagovailoa to miss the remainder of the season. The Dolphins were forced to start Skylar Thompson in their Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills, which they lost. Draft Sharks injury predictor lists Tagovailoa as a player with a “very high risk” of injury entering the 2024 season, with the likelihood of Tua suffering another injury that sidelines him at least two quarters at 84%.
The Dolphins are currently in win-now mode. Should they find themselves in a situation where Tua misses an extended period of time late in the season, Stephen Ross may urge the front office to at least do their due diligence on Tom Brady and gauge his interest in coming out of retirement to play for Miami. If Stephen Ross was willing to tamper with Brady and risk being punished by the NFL, who’s to say he wouldn’t be interested now when there’s nothing for him to lose?
From Tom Brady’s perspective, signing with the Dolphins would be very appealing. Miami has an innovative offensive head coach in Mike McDaniel, star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the outside, former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith to throw to over the middle, and a potent rushing attack led by Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. There’s also hope that the defense will improve under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver who plans to be more aggressive by sending pressure and having his corners play more press coverage.
Tom currently resides in Miami, so he wouldn’t have to move across the country to enjoy a brief stint in the NFL. Plus, he’d get to play in games with high stakes in a division featuring Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and his old team. So if Tom Brady gets bored living the multi-million dollar divorced dad life, then perhaps he could relive his glory days as an emergency quarterback for the Dolphins.
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