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Tom Brady ha scioccato molti appassionati di sport quando ha deciso di porre fine alla sua carriera con i New England Patriots nel 2020, per Twitter. Ha annunciato che avrebbe continuato la sua carriera calcistica altrove, che finì per essere con i Tampa Bay Buccaneers. La star della NFL ha firmato un contratto biennale con la squadra della Florida dopo aver trascorso 20 anni con i Patriots, ma prima di fare un accordo con i Buccaneers, non era chiaro a quale squadra si sarebbe unito Brady e per quanto tempo. I Los Angeles Chargers e i Tampa Bay Buccaneers erano due opzioni praticabili per Brady all’epoca, secondo la NFL, ma a un certo punto c’erano anche altre squadre.
Brady was looking for a new beginning after his time in New England. He told Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America,” “When you’re in one place for 20 years, you think that’s the only way, and I think when you go to a different place you realize, ‘Wow — there’s another way that people do things.”
While he seems to have enjoyed his time with the Buccaneers over the past few years, it was recently revealed that his heart was not always set on Tampa Bay. In fact, a deal with another NFL team that abruptly fell through left him very disappointed.
Tom Brady almost had a deal with another NFL team
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Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski almost signed contracts with a different NFL team before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to the New York Post, the football players were in talks to join the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 before the team’s former coach, Jon Gruden, ended up rejecting the deal and ruining everything. During an interview with UFC President Dana White and Gronkowski, White revealed that Brady was even looking at properties in Las Vegas before Gruden pulled the plug on the big deal.
Despite the drama, Gronkowski explained that it all ended up working out for the best. The dynamic duo led Tampa Bay to win the Super Bowl in 2020, and Gruden resigned from coaching the Raiders after being accused of homophobic and misogynistic behavior, per The New York Times. However, Brady did seem to have his mind set on joining the Raiders at the time. White even revealed, “Brady was not happy about it.”
He refrained from telling the story in the past, as it would most likely disappoint a variety of people. “It would’ve been amazing for the city, would’ve been amazing for the Raiders,” White said, per the New York Post. “Their first year there, they got Brady and Gronk. So, yeah, I’m sure [owner] Mark Davis is real happy to hear this story.” Brady will continue his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season following Gronkowski’s retirement earlier this year.
