Tom Brady has already won, and won a lot. The nine Super Bowl appearances. The six Lombardi trophies. The never-ending parade of AFC East titles and playoff seasons. He's in the news right now, every day, every hour, focusing on where he'll end up in two weeks when free agency begins. He has won again.
Brady has won the battle against Father Time since there is no way this much speculation should surround a 42-year-old quarterback. He'll turn the ripe old age of 43 by the time training camp rolls around, and if he nets a two-year deal from somewhere, he'll be making a lot of money to play football six years shy of 50. That is absurd.
There's no bad decision, here no matter what some people may believe. There are going to be a group of romantics who don't want to see him in any jersey that's not the Patriots. But no one declines Jerry Rice of GOAT status because of a few games in a Seahawks uniform. Emmitt Smith is still the league's all-time leading rusher, even though he finished his career with two unceremonious seasons in Arizona. Joe Namath is remembered as the guy that changed football, not the broken bicycle with the Rams.
Brady could end up in Las Vegas, Los Angeles or Nashville. None of those destinations are terrible. They would immediately benefit from a jolt of new intrigue, and the cities would be thrilled with their own living legend. The money is going to be great. The Raiders reportedly are preparing up to $60M for his services. What's wrong with taking as much money as you're worth on the open market? He's paid to play football and has every right to accept that check.
We shouldn't even be talking about crazy financial numbers and a deli-line worth of teams courting him because this has literally never happened. We have never had a player at his age expected to be any good. That's the real risk here, and it's a fairly sizable one. What happens if (gasp) he's no longer any good?
It's not a reality anyone has really discussed, nor many want to even think about. Brady's last Super Bowl against the Rams, and ineffectiveness at times last season, have largely been glossed over. The fingers have been pointed at the young wide receivers, lack of prime targets, and shaky offensive line. Most will cite his '19 stats and another division title and believe he can still be the man. This is an overly rosy viewpoint.
Brady is human, no matter how many goji berries he ingests. He will be 43 the next time he gets tackled, and that has never ended well. He has shown signs of arm deterioration. He has looked more skittish in the pocket. And that's not a criticism. He should be all of those things. He's ancient in NFL terms. Brett Favre retired at 41. John Unitas was 40. Peyton Manning at 39. John Elway, Dan Marino and Joe Montana at 38. Brady is already well past all of them, and with a straight face we're discussing two more years. He has already won by virtue of this being a possibility. But the end can and will drop out, and all these suitors should be aware that the winning of Brady may no longer actually be on the field.