Curran: Where Tom Brady stands on decision about 2023 destination originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There’s been plenty of speculation about where Tom Brady will be in the fall of 2023, but no concrete reporting.
Perhaps that’s because Brady himself is still making up his mind.
The 45-year-old quarterback, who’s set to become a free agent in March, suggested he’s still undecided about his NFL future earlier this week with an expletive-laced (and possibly staged) response to Jim Gray on his “Let’s Go!” podcast.
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“Jim, if I knew what I was going to f—ing do, I’d already f—ing done it. OK?” Brady told Gray. “I’m taking it one day at a time.”
During Thursday’s edition of “Boston Sports Tonight” on NBC Sports Boston, Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran shared what he’s hearing about Brady’s mindset behind the scenes, and it aligns with what he said publicly.
“He has no idea,” Curran said of Brady. “It is my understanding he is really trying to get his life in order. This is the first time he’s had a chance to take a break, so when he said that to Scratchy (Jim Gray) the other day, he really meant it: He doesn’t know.”
We do have some clues, however. Brady’s current Buccaneers teammates (and former New England Patriots teammates) don’t believe he’ll be back in Tampa Bay next season, while the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and even Detroit Lions have been floated as possible destinations for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
But Curran said if he was a betting man, he’d put his money on Brady joining the Miami Dolphins.
As co-host Michael Felger noted, Brady’s two children with his ex-wife Gisele Bundchen both reside in the Miami area, and being close to them could be a major selling point. Curran added that Brady has a strong relationship with Dolphins vice chairman and fellow Michigan alum Bruce Beal.
On the field, Miami has two dynamic wide receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and an offensive-minded head coach in Mike McDaniel. Current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is entering the final year of his contract, so if the team decides to move on from him, perhaps they’d consider Brady to fill the void.
Brady returning to the AFC East to face his former team twice would be quite the storyline. And if Aaron Rodgers somehow lands on the New York Jets, then the Patriots could be facing some serious QB competition in 2023.
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