Tom Brady, 6-time Super Bowl champion, to sign with Tampa Bay Buccaneers: reports
42-year-old announced his departure from New England on Tuesday
Tom Brady is heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday night.
ESPN's Jeff Darlington, who reported earlier this month that Brady would not return to the Patriots, also reported on Tuesday that Brady would be joining the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay made a pitch to Brady on Monday.
Earlier Tuesday, Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd and Dale Arnold of WEEI in Boston reported Tampa Bay is indeed the destination for the free agent quarterback, who announced Tuesday morning on Instagram that he was leaving the New England Patriots.
"I have somebody telling me this morning — this is very interesting — this is not a football source. It's an icon source. It is somebody in Tom's stratosphere that knows Tom, that is a famous person. And he says Tampa," Cowherd said on his radio show Tuesday. "That's what he's telling me. I am contacting teams. That is what I'm hearing. I'm hearing Tampa Bay."
Arnold added on Twitter: "From my source: the @Buccaneers will announce their deal with @TomBrady tomorrow. The deal is done."
The Los Angeles Chargers were considered to be the other team in the running for Brady, who played with the Patriots for 20 years and led the team to six Super Bowl titles.
Brady will turn 43 in August. The three-time NFL Most Valuable Player ranks second all-time in passing yards (74,571) and touchdowns (541) behind Drew Brees.
With Brady in the mix for the Buccaneers, former No. 1 pick Jameis Winston is free to move on the open market.
Among the teams expected to add a veteran quarterback are the Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Chargers.