Welcome to the Two-Minute Drill, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related offseason news you need to start your Tuesday. Grab your cafe latte or whatever your weird morning drink is, and let's boogie...
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A lot of the reporting (legit and otherwise) so far in the Tom Brady sweepstakes has been on the breathless side, especially from the combine.
Raiders are offering this...
Titans are expected to...
Chargers are going to back up the Brinks truck...
Lions! Tigers! Bears!
And it should be. Brady possibly leaving the Patriots after 20 years to play for another team at age 43 is a massive story.
But here's the thing: how robust is the market really going to be for Brady's services?
There's always a chance there's a team laying in the weeds that would oust their quarterback for a shot a Brady (Rams, Vikings, Broncos, Browns, 49ers, Bears would be in that category according to league sources). If I'm Brady's Camp, that's what I'm hoping for because if one or two of those teams don't emerge, then Brady might not have a lot of great options when it comes down to it.
The Titans are the big swing team, and I've long thought they were Brady's best landing spot. You swap Brady for Ryan Tannehill in the AFC Championship Game, and Brady might have won at Arrowhead again.
But the Titans might not even wait on Brady. Here's why:
Tannehill makes sense for a lot of teams looking for a better option at quarterback. I could very much see Jon Gruden looking at Tannehill as the new Rich Gannon — an athletic quarterback who really didn't have it click for him at the position until later in his career. Hell, even I saw some Gannon in Tannehill, and that was four years ago.
If the new CBA is going to go through, then the Titans will only have one tag to use, and that would be on franchise RB Derrick Henry. At QB, is Mike Vrabel going to potentially lose Tannehill and then see Brady return to the Patriots? The Titans would be smart to use the specter of Brady to pressure Tannehill into a below-market deal before free agency even starts.
And if that happens, what options are Brady really left with (Albert Breer already reported the Colts and Giants are out)?
Raiders: Talk about a completely foreign place, the Raiders are moving to a new city. Gruden might be persuasive and that offensive line, Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller (plus other tight ends, imagine that Patriots fans) and Hunter Renfrow are certainly enticing. But they don't have any dynamic receivers and will likely rely on draft picks there. Gruden is a dyed-in-the-wool West Coast devotee and that's a tough one-year transition, but not impossible. The bigger issue is the defense is terrible and the scheme is even worse. Oh, and Mark Davis. Plus, you have to face the Chiefs twice a year. That means little chance at a bye, along with a battle just to make the playoffs.
Tampa: You can't be serious. Sure, weapons all over the place and Bruce Arians would make it easy on Brady, but that's like going from the Soviet Union to a hippie commune. What has Arians ever won? And his scheme is a terrible fit for Brady. Plus, it's Tampa and you're going against the Saints twice a year. Philip Rivers would be a better option.
Chargers: Sure, they're the one team desperate for Brady with an opening at quarterback with good weapons, but that's a very green offensive coordinator and the Spanos family is like the Bizarro Krafts — they don't have the best reputation around the league.
That's about it. Brady better hope that a team like the Rams comes out of nowhere — and that would be a typical Les Snead and Sean McVay move if not for some cap issues — because those are not great options for Brady.
The Patriots know this. They've been out there gauging Brady's market since the season ended. Nobody gauges the market like they do. That's not the Patriots' "pitch" (Felger), that's called due diligence and doing your job. The Patriots have plenty to offer Brady with a few changes. League sources expect the Patriots to make a trade on offense before free agency that could change the equation dramatically for Brady. If that happens, all bets are off.
Of course, if Brady doesn't get two years from the Patriots — and all of this posturing from the franchise tag to the house, to moving and the leaks have been part of the leverage game to finally push the Patriots to give Brady what he wants (respect, weapons, two-plus years) — then Brady might just up and retire out of spite, and a lack of other good options.
To be continued...
2. Yeah, Tom, keep reaching out to Antonio Brown, who could very well be suspended for next season and continues to be a very bad person who hasn't gotten help.
3. Tom Brady to the Niners and Jimmy Garoppolo to the Patriots just won't die thanks to Deion Sanders.
4. Rob Gronkowski paid a surprise visit to an upstate NY teen.
5. Are the Patriots finally vulnerable (Me: NO) and will it make a difference for the Jets (definitely not)?
Around the NFL...
6.Oh, man ... I love Trai Turner, who reportedly is being shopped by the Panthers.
7. Former Chiefs safety Eric Berry could be returning and might land with the Colts, according to Jim Trotter.
ALL time story from Gronk today about getting the call from The NFL about making the #NFL100 pic.twitter.com/M7RHzPMfKv
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 2, 2020