The Buccaneers had to endure just 40 days without Tom Brady before the veteran quarterback elected to unretire and return for the 2022 NFL season.
But during that time, Tampa Bay wasn’t resting on its laurels and hoping that Brady would return. The Bucs were exploring every potential opportunity to find a successor, per head coach Bruce Arians.
“We had started to uncover as many stones as we possibly could,” Arians told NFL Network at the league’s annual meeting. “We would’ve turned over every stone. … [general manager] Jason [Licht] did his calls. We were in the midst of all that stuff when Tom decided to come back and thank God we could say, ‘No thanks, brother. We’re out of it.'”
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It’s unclear exactly which quarterbacks the Buccaneers may have been in on, but the likes of Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan have been traded during the 2022 NFL offseason. It stands to reason that Tampa Bay was at least exploring those options — as well as free agents like Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and Mitchell Trubisky — before Brady ultimately returned.
Arians and the Buccaneers always planned to welcome Brady back with open arms. Not just because Brady was the best option the team had at the quarterback position, but also because his decision to unretire sparked other players to rejoin the team.
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In fact, Brady’s decision helped lure running back Leonard Fournette, center Ryan Jensen and cornerback Carlton Davis back to Tampa Bay rather than leaving via free agency. He also helped the team sign Russell Gage and safety Logan Ryan. Why?
“They know what Tom brings and we got a shot for another ring. And that’s it. That’s bottom line,” Arians said. “It’s all about the ring again. Not reloading, not seeing who’s going to do this, who’s going to do that, how we are we going to fit this guy in. Everybody knows their role again right now.”
So, it would seem that the Buccaneers are in a good place organizationally and are set to compete. But what should fans make of the rumors that there was a rift between Arians and Brady? The veteran coach laughed when asked about them.
“I have no clue where it comes from,” Arians said. “Somebody’s got to write a story every day about something. Tom and I have a great relationship. Even during the retirement: ‘Where you at?’ ‘I’m in Italy.’ ‘How’s it going?’ ‘Got the kids over here.’ You know, just checking on him. I can’t get him back on the golf course because he’s traveling too much, so I can’t win enough money off of him.”
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Arians may not be able to get Brady back on the golf course, but he’ll happily settle for having the 44-year-old quarterback on the roster.
“The smile really hasn’t come off my face,” Arians said. “I’m drinking too much, but other than that it’s been a constant celebration. It was huge for us to have Tom back.”
