It’s safe to say that Tom Brady really enjoyed his free agency back in 2020 that led him to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady spent the first 20 years of his career with the New England Patriots, who drafted him 199th overall in the Round 6 of the 2000 NFL Draft. He went on to become a six-time Super Bowl champion with the franchise and the face of the league for more than a decade.
Considering his success with the Patriots, many thought he would retire in New England. In a shocking move, however, he entered free agency in 2020 and looked elsewhere for a new challenge and environment. TB12 ended up with the Buccaneers, a team he led to the Super Bowl as well in his first season.
Now, as he is enjoying his retirement from the game, Brady couldn’t help but look back at the process he went through during his free agency. The NFL icon shared that he really enjoyed it since he was in control of where he wanted to go–choosing the teammates he wanted to play with, the city he wanted to go to and more.
“Yeah, it was a great way to see and learn lots of different ways to do things. And I think, you know, for a long time, as a free agent I got to choose which teammates | wanted to join rather than you’re on a team and the coach is always choosing who joins your locker room. I got a chance to really look around and say, what locker room do I wanna join?” Tom Brady reminisced on his Let’s Go podcast, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports.
“And when I chose Tampa, you know, I didn’t know that Robbie G was gonna come out of retirement. Of course I was hopeful, but there was no certainty about it. He was retired for a year and then I called him and he’s like, ‘Tampa, huh?’ And we went down there and we had so much fun. It was COVID, we all had a chance to get to know each other. All of our teammates were so excited. We were excited. There was so much positivity and it was like a new, it was a breath of fresh air for all of us, you know?”
Brady added that it was exciting for him to go to “a totally different environment,” away from the Patriots and the AFC. He also noted that he loved the weather in Tampa, where the ” weather got better” as the season went on, which is a complete opposite in New England.
Tom Brady Appreciates the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Acceptance
What Tom Brady loved the most about his decision to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however, was how the organization welcomed him with open arms.
Brady shared that it’s a huge motivating factor for him to go all out and help bring a title to the franchise and city–which he did, in his first season with them no less.
“I think to be accepted by that organization really meant the world to me, too. Obviously I was accepted so much by the Patriots fans and the team and the organization and then when I left there to go to another place and see the way that we were welcome was awesome,” Brady added.
“And the only thing I wanted to do was give back to them. And I thought we rewarded that organization with a championship through a lot of hard work by our teammates.”
It’s certainly awesome to hear Brady’s thoughts on his move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and how much thought he put into it. Sure enough, while he only played three seasons in Tampa, it was an unforgettable time for him.
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