Which teams could be suitors for Tom Brady?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After his 20th football season as quarterback for the New England Patriots ended Saturday night, Tom Brady said retirement was “pretty unlikely,” then moved to “hopefully unlikely.”

What might that mean?

For starters, Brady wants to continue playing. He’s said it a thousand times. He might not be the quarterback he was in his prime, but he’s certainly good enough to win football games with the right cast around him.

His preference is to remain in New England. He really doesn’t want to play anywhere else. To this point, however, there have been no indications the team has Brady in its plans, or wants to provide him upgrades in weaponry.

That could change in the coming months, before Brady actually hits free agency March 18. If it does, it’s “pretty likely” he won’t retire if contractual standards are reached.

If not, he’ll be looking for employment elsewhere. But the places that would fit the Brady requirements in terms of coach, ability to win, offensive scheme, aren’t many. That’s where the “hopefully” comes in. If it doesn’t work with the Patriots, and the opportunities don’t suit him, he may ultimately retire.

With that said, here are a few teams that might be interested in Brady, and could have a shot at hooking up with the GOAT.

CONTENDERS

1. Bears: Chicago General Manager Ryan Pace said Mitchell Trubisky would be the starter next season, this coming after an 8-8 season and missing the NFC playoffs after winning the NFC North the previous year.

Trubisky, taken as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been a bust thus far. Maybe the Bears are simply playing coy and have other ideas. One could be Brady. The Monsters of the Midway sport a great defense and have some talent on offense. It’s a similar formula to the Patriots. Coach Matt Nagy has done his best with Trubisky, but the young quarterback’s inconsistency has been deadly.

Perhaps they would sign Brady for a few seasons with the hopes of winning a Super Bowl, and have Trubisky learn under the legend.

2. Chargers: They’re opening a new stadium. Bad enough they have more visiting fans filling their home field. They need a main attraction.

Like Brady, Philip Rivers is a free agent and the Chargers could move away from him and go after Brady. They have plenty of weapons for Brady and a very good defense to complement the offense. They were a playoff team last season, before falling off this year.

While Brady is a native of California, with his parents and many family members residing out west, there have been reports his wife Gisele isn’t in favor of living there. His oldest son Jack also lives in New York. If it’s the best fit, and if they offer him a ransom, he might consider it.

3. Titans: If the Titans lock up Ryan Tannehill, who didn’t exactly distinguish himself in the win over the Patriots (8 for 15 for 72 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick), this is off the table. But if they don’t, playing for old friend Mike Vrabel in Nashville, having a legitimate running game behind him, would be something for Brady to consider. It might be the top choice, but it’s hard to figure where the Titans are going with Tannehill, who was lights out the 10 games he started in the regular season, but was a Nervous Nellie in his first playoff game.

4. Raiders: They’re moving to Las Vegas. They desperately need a headliner. Who’s better than a 6-time Super Bowl champion quarterback?

The Raiders improved under Coach Jon Gruden, and new General Manager Mike Mayock. They have a lot of young talent. They’re closing in on a playoff run. Although Derek Carr put up career numbers in 2019, it’s still not clear if Gruden is completely happy with the way that Carr has been running the team’s offense. The Raiders may draft another quarterback, but would need time to develop him. Dumping Carr for Brady would be a PR move in theory. Perhaps the Raiders would be interested.

LONGSHOTS

1. Colts: It appears the Colts have come to the conclusion Jacoby Brissett is not the answer following a 7-9 season. GM Chris Ballard didn’t exactly endorse Brissett as being the quarterback of the future for Indy.

“The jury is still out,” Ballard told Sports Illustrated. “That’s why we did the short-term deal with Jacoby. One, to give us some security that we had a player we knew we liked and could go forward with. But also, two, to give us time to figure out if he is the guy or not. Jacoby did a lot of good things. He also did some things that I think he would tell you he needs to get better at. But it’s a constant evaluation.”

Coach Frank Reich is well-respected and a good offensive play-caller. There are tools to work with given a strong running game (Marlon Mack), talented receivers (T.Y. Hilton, Devin Funchess) and tight ends (Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron). The Colts also have a strong defense. They didn’t make the playoffs, but would be contenders with the right quarterback. Still, it’s hard to see Brady sign on with the team that blew the whistle on Deflategate, and caused him a four-game suspension and plenty of court fees. And Brian Hoyer did say the transition from the Patriots offense to the Colts was “like studying Spanish all year, then before the final, the teacher hands you a French book.”

2. Panthers: This is predicated on Josh McDaniels winding up the head coach. He’s being interviewed by the Panthers, along with the Browns and Giants. He’s one of the top candidates. If McDaniels becomes the Panthers coach, there would be some appeal for Brady to go there given he wouldn’t have to learn a new system. Decisions would have to be made on Cam Newton and his future by the Panthers. This is only a possibility with McDaniels at the helm.

3. Buccaneers: Bruce Arians doesn’t seem too enamored with a quarterback who is equal parts touchdown and interception. Jameis Winston had the first 30 touchdown/30 interception season. Maybe the Bucs do their due diligence on Brady. They certainly have a ton of weapons, but their attack is predicated on the long ball, which doesn’t exactly suit the Patriots quarterback.

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