Tom Brady “keeping the door open” or “trying to keep people guessing” about his future possibly backfired this time around.
That’s the way Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio sees it, and he recently called out Brady for crossing a line in reference to another quarterback’s job. Brady, the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback didn’t say no to a question about coming back to play football last week. Speaking at a tech conference in Miami, Brady answered the question in reference to joining the Miami Dolphins, which had the crowd reacting with cheers and laughter.
“Oh man. Well, I will say now that I’m not affiliated with any team even more and even though I have strong ties with a couple teams, I do have some friends on the Dolphins that I really like,” Brady said. “I wouldn’t say I necessarily root for them all the time but I root for my friends to do well and several of them play for Miami.”
Florio wrote that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should call out Brady for his comments. Tagovailoa has been the starter for the Dolphins for the past three seasons, and he plans to play this season despite two concussions and a neck injury in 2022.
“He didn’t say no,” Florio said about Brady. “He didn’t say, ‘Miami has a quarterback.’ Instead, he quickly made the point that he’s currently not attached to any team, which clearly implies he can sign with any team at any time.”
“Enter Tua. As I told Joe Rose yesterday morning on WQAM in Miami, it’s disrespectful to Tua for Brady to talk about Tua’s job so nonchalantly,” Florio added. “It’s especially disrespectful for Brady to do it given the history.”
Dolphins Tampered With Tom Brady Before
The Dolphins got in trouble with the league last year and lost a first-round pick in this year’s draft because of tampering with Brady in the past. Tampering happened in 2019 when Brady last played for the Patriots before he became a free agent. Brady then got linked to the Dolphins after his second season with the Bucs in early 2022.
Brady retired from the NFL on February 1 after a 23-year career that included 20 with the Patriots and three with the Bucs. He won seven Super Bowls and three MVPs amid a plethora of individual records in the process.
Tua Tagovailoa Considered Retirement
Tagovailoa notably considered retirement last season because of his injuries. He ultimately decided against it.
“I considered it for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations,” Tagovailoa told reporters on April 19. “But it would be really hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am, with my son.
“I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching, that he’s watching his dad. It’s my health, it’s my body, and I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family.”
