Talk of a 49ers-Tom Brady union has simmered underneath offseason chatter that Brady’s ‘retirement’ was more of a push to leave Tampa Bay than it was to leave the NFL. It’s a question as to whether the 49ers would want to even do that if the opportunity presented itself, but Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday threw cold water on the idea that Brady will suit up for any other team in 2022.
Brady’s retirement means the Buccaneers still hold his rights, so if he wanted to come back and play it would require Tampa Bay to trade him to a team he wanted to play for. That was going to be a hangup in any potential 49ers acquisition of arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time. Arians on Tuesday in a press conference was asked directly about trading Brady away. His hypothetical asking price was astronomical.
“Five No. 1 (picks)? Maybe,” Arians said at the NFL combine.
He also said trading Brady would be “bad for business,” and added the 44-year-old QB “slammed (the door) shut” on returning to the NFL.
The chances Brady was going to return and play for the 49ers were always long. Now they’re even longer when considering what Arians had to say.
Perhaps this is all just a smoke screen and mind games from the Bucs’ head coach as they navigate a potential trade market, but it sounds like Brady is hanging up his pads for good and the Bucs aren’t eager to let him play anywhere else if he changes his mind.
