By Jack Hagen | Writer
September 20, 2020
This off-season, one of the most shocking acquisitions in NFL history took place: future hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arguably one of the greatest players of all time, Brady signed a two year, 70 million dollar deal with his new team. Brady had formerly played with the New England Patriots for 20 seasons, leading the team to nine Super Bowls and winning six. On September 13, we caught our first glimpse of him with his new team and uniform, which was strange for many NFL fans.
The Buccaneers dropped Week 1 to the New Orleans Saints 23-34. Uncharacteristically, Brady threw two interceptions and did not appear sharp. Head Coach Bruce Arians even mentioned after the game that this was not the Brady everyone knew and that something was off. It wasn’t only Brady, however; stars Leonard Fournette and Rob Gronkowski combined for a whopping 16 yards. Something definitely wasn’t clicking on offense.
The goal of bringing in the six-time Super Bowl champion was to improve from the team’s former quarterback, Jameis Winston. Much younger than Brady, he possessed a large portion of upside. “The Buccaneers should have given Winston one more year,” SCHS junior Asher Gardiner said. “With their new weapons on offense they could see what he is capable of instead of signing the two year rental of the 43-year-old Brady.” Ultimately, the front office felt the best decision was to go with the veteran presence at quarterback, and though he wasn’t successful in their first game, he has potential to improve.
The decision to part ways with New England is definitely under heat right now, as Brady’s old team seemed very well-rounded without him, winning their first game against the Miami Dolphins. “Tom Brady made a huge mistake going to the Bucs,” junior Daniel Lo said. “However, he was practically forced to leave in order to save his career.”
With such a short contract, Brady is on a tight leash. If he fails to turn things around, his time in the National Football League may finally come to an end.
BRADY after the loss. Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports
Leave a Reply