INDIANAPOLIS – Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday that while leaving the door open for the possible return of quarterback Tom Brady, who will remain under contract, they will retire as they retire. without him. out of season.
“This door never closes. When Tom wants to come back, he comes back. If Tom wants to come back, we’ll have a lot of money for him, “Arians told reporters at the NFL Scout Factory, adding that the two continue to keep in touch, as Brady and Licht do.
“I think with Tom Brady, I personally never want to close the door completely,” Licht said. “Now I have no information to suggest that he will return. I am very good friends with him. We are talking, [but] we haven’t talked about it. I do not want to put any pressure on this at the moment. But he’s Tom Brady. If Tom Brady wants to come back, we’ll welcome him again. “
Arians have expressed less optimism than Licht about a possible return, although Brady did not close the door publicly on his return and even discussed it on his Sirius XM “Let’s Go!” Podcast for the reasons Brady is retiring – mostly to spends more time with his family.
“He slammed the door when I talked to him,” Arians said with a smile. “I think, like many of these guys, he likes to have his name there.”
Arians admitted he was surprised when Brady announced his retirement, despite reports that it could happen.
“Every time I met him, he felt fantastic,” Arians said. I kept asking him, “How are you feeling? How are you feeling? ”He said,“ This is the best I’ve felt in 10 years. ”After the 16th week, the way he played, I was convinced he would come back. Then, when we talked, I understood everything about it. “
Did Licht, who met Brady in 2002 when he was assistant director of staff for New England Patriots players, see that coming?
“When Tom and I signed two years ago, neither of us knew how long it would take,” Licht said. “If it was one year, two years. I hoped he was 50. But no one really knew. So, it’s not really a shocking surprise when he’s the type who values everything. [He] continues to appreciate everything. He literally came out on top if he was actually retiring. We have always benefited and we have never taken it for granted. “
Arians described his relationship with Brady as “fantastic”, although there have been reports in recent weeks that friction is beginning to develop. The Arians even joked that he intended to challenge Brady to a game of golf.
“Hey, let’s play golf. If I hit you in the ass, you’re back! ”Arians said with a laugh. But jokes aside, Arians said that if Brady retires, they will not consider other teams in his acquisition. “No,” Arians said. Bad business.
Since Brady is still under contract with the Buccaneers, they still hold his rights, which happened to the New England Patriots and ultimately Rob Gronkowski when he retired to join Brady. The Bucs exchanged a choice of a fourth-round draft in exchange for Gronkowski and a choice of a seventh-round draft to win it.
But in this case it will require a significant capital project. “Five number 1. Maybe,” Arians said.
Don’t expect other teams to help the Buccaneers. Although the team said earlier that it would look to add a quarterback through a free agency or draft, the options are small. Arians said there are only two quarterbacks in the free agency that Bucs would consider signing, while there are eight under contract with other teams and he sees no more than one or two of them potentially to be traded because most teams do not have viable backup options. for a year when supply does not meet demand.
“I don’t think it’s about trade. You have to have a partner, “Arians said. “These guys don’t just want to say, ‘Hey, do you want my man?’ Who’s behind door number two for them?” I don’t see many of these guys being exchanged. There may be one, a maximum of two, guys who we think can take us to the Super Bowl. “
The plan is to have four quarterbacks, and Kyle Trask, selected for the second round draft last year, will be given the opportunity to compete for the starting lineup, although he saw no action in the regular season last year, as Blaine Gabert intervened when Brady came out at the games last year.
“Kyle is going to get a great, great kick. I mean, he deserved the chance,” Arians said. “I’m really impressed with the way he improved the things he needed when he was leading the scout team, his presence in his pocket, the movement in his pocket – all those things on and off the field that Tom taught him, he bends down. , gets a little faster – he can throw it. Now it’s a question of “Does he turn it?” If it’s Blaine, does he turn it around? “
Can Trask surprise people the way McJones did with the Patriots last year as a rookie?
“I definitely think so,” Licht said. “I definitely think there is a chance. He showed all the signs that this points to his intelligence, his ability to catch the offense, his work ethic, the way he absorbs information and retains information, and the way he throws the ball. He has changed his body a little. He is surprisingly athletic there – even more so after his last year in Florida. “
Arians said the organization will not oppose the return of James Winston, whom Licht first selected overall in the 2015 NFL Draft before signing as a reserve agent with a free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2020. Winston is ready to become a free agent again. But the Arians said, “I don’t think so [returning to Tampa Bay] the best thing for him. “
Another quarterback with whom the Bucs are linked is Deshon Watson, but he is currently facing charges of sexual abuse by 22 different women. Licht declined to discuss Watson because his personal policy is not to discuss players under contract with other teams, while Arians said the property will have to call.
“That would be a strictly organizational sign,” Arians said. “I’ve known the boy for a long time. I’m shocked he’s in this situation. But that would be a strictly organizational sign.”