Does Tom Brady have designs on becoming the NFL's first active player-owner? A new report published by Pro Football Talk on Thursday morning suggests the wild scenario was "very close" to happening this offseason.
The future Hall of Famer has had an unusual offseason, to say the least, marked by a brief 40-day retirement before his eventual return to the Buccaneers.
The subsequent resignation of Bucs head coach Bruce Arians further fueled rumors that Brady and Arians didn't exactly see eye to eye -- hardly a reach given their public disagreements -- and that Brady essentially forced Arians off the sideline.
Brady's retirement had been met with great skepticism, and many suspected he was plotting a return to a team other than Tampa Bay.
The 49ers, for one, were reported to be a preferred destination, and the Dolphins surfaced as a potential landing spot in explosive fashion when former Miami head coach Brian Flores claimed in his racial discrimination lawsuit that he had been unwittingly lured to a meeting with Brady and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross in late 2019 to discuss Brady potentially joining the team.
Now, according to Mike Florio, Brady was again planning to join the Dolphins this offseason -- this time as a minority owner -- along with former Saints head coach Sean Payton. The idea was scrapped, however, when Flores' lawsuit surfaced, Florio reported.
With the Bucs still holding Brady's playing rights after he retired, the Dolphins would have at some point acquired those rights after he'd joined Miami as an owner, per Florio.
With Brady again headed toward free agency after the upcoming season, the Dolphins scenario is still in play, according to Florio:
Even though it didn’t happen, it’s an important consideration because Brady will continue to hover as a potential addition to the Dolphins. He has a close relationship with Bruce Beal, the right-hand man and successor-in-waiting to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. With Brady under contract for one more season in Tampa Bay and his deal containing a no-tag clause, Brady will be a free agent in 2023. He will be able to sign with any team he chooses.
Rumors and reports linking Brady to the Dolphins have been a constant this offseason. Shortly before Arians stepped down, it was reported that Brady was still "working on" a possible trade to Miami.
New Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel later refuted the report, calling it "fake news."
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