Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen had heard the reports. He knew that Tom Brady was allegedly leaving New England for Tampa Bay. But until the contract was signed, it didn’t seem real.
Then Brady made it official.
“As soon as the pen hit the paper, I’m like, ‘Holy cow, this is actually happening. This is real,’” Jensen said on The Zach Gelb Show. “It was kind of a weird moment, especially growing up. I’m 29. I was 9 years old when Tom came into the league. So just watching him play for the Patriots for the last 20 years, yeah, it’s going to be a little different seeing him in a different jersey, but I’m glad he’s in our jersey, that’s for sure. . . . I think our offense has a chance to be a legit top-five offense in production and will be able to score a lot of points and take care of the ball and protect leads.”
Scoring wasn’t a problem for the Buccaneers in 2019. In fact, they led the league in passing offense (302.8 passing yards per game) and ranked fourth in scoring offense (28.6 points per game), but Jameis Winston threw a league-high 30 interceptions.
Jensen hopes Jameis gets an opportunity on another team.
“If Jameis would have returned, open arms,” Jensen said. “I love Jameis. He’s a great competitor and great friend. That’s part of the business. I hope he lands on his feet and can continually improve. But if he would have been back, I would have gone to war with him just how I have the last two years. There would have been no difference no matter who’s taking the snaps.”
Brady, meanwhile, joins a franchise seeking its first playoff appearance since 2007. But with the GOAT under center, the Bucs aren’t thinking playoffs; they’re thinking Super Bowl.
Can this team win it all next season?
“Yeah, definitely,” Jensen said. “We have the talent. We have the skill. Everybody always says it’s a .500 league and the teams that end up 12-4 [with] first-round byes and end up going to the Super Bowl, it’s those little details in every game that this play or that play can determine the outcome of the game. I feel like growing in Bruce’s offense and Bruce’s team culture and then adding Tom on top of that, I think we’re going to be a very tough team to beat.”