Imagining What the NFL Would Look Like If Tom Brady Signed Elsewhere

Without Brady, the Buccaneers aren't the reigning Super Bowl champs. Tampa Bay may have still been a playoff squad based on the talent found elsewhere on the roster, but the team hadn't found the right triggerman to set the standard for everyone else to follow.Brady did, and head coach Bruce Arians told reporters his quarterback deserves all of the credit for taking the organization where it hadn't been in a long time:"This was a very talented football team [in 2019]. I think a lot of that carried over to the defense and made them more accountable."Without Brady, the Buccaneers probably would have re-signed previous starter Jameis Winston, who led the league with 5,109 passing yards (and 30 interceptions) during the '19 campaign. "I think that people still underestimate how close Tom Brady was to signing with the New Orleans Saints," ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported. A partnership between Brady and Saints head coach Sean Payton, who is one of football's best offensive minds, could have led to great success, not just last year but into the future as well. By signing Brady, Drew Brees wouldn't have received his farewell tour in 2020—which the NFL's all-time leading passer more than earned. According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Brady wanted to sign with San Francisco. The same couldn't be said if San Francisco signed Brady. Maybe he'd have re-signed with the New England Patriots as Brady's replacement in an instance of universal kismet. If Brady signed, Los Angeles wouldn't have the NFL's reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, who happened to set a rookie record with 31 touchdown passes. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's Larry Fitzgerald Sr. reported the team prepared to offer Brady a two-year deal worth $60 million.