The Tom Brady-Miami Dolphins Rumors Feel Awfully Far-Fetched

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- It's reasonable to believe that Tom Brady, for whatever reason or reasons, wanted out of Tampa Bay after last season. It's likewise reasonable to believe that his fake mini-retirement was an effort on his part to find himself a new home.

But believing that now, at the end of March, more than a week into free agency, that Brady is still maneuvering a move somewhere else -- like, say, the Miami Dolphins -- is more than a little far-fetched.

The reason for that -- more than fit, more than scheming, more than coaching, more than anything -- is quite simple. There's just no way that Tom Brady would ditch the players he's convinced to sign or stay with Tampa Bay over the past two weeks. None.

The timing of Brady's "un-retirement" was no coincidence. It came a day before the opening of the legal tampering window in the NFL, which marks the real start of roster-building around the league. The Bucs had to know by then if Brady was coming back, and free agents also had to know if Tampa Bay's quarterback was going to be Tom Brady or Kyle Trask before agreeing to deals.

That's why Brady announced his family staycation was over, and that's when he went to work convincing the likes of Ryan Jensen, Russell Gage, Leonard Fournette and Logan Ryan to sign in Tampa. Whether he played a significant or small part in the decisions of those players, Brady no doubt pitched them to alter their lives and sign with Tampa.

The idea that Brady would then turn his back on those same players and leave them stranded without a quarterback is legitimately inconceivable. If that were to happen, Brady would be throwing away more than 20 years of being an all-time teammate, the ultimate team-first player, all to ... join the Miami Dolphins? That doesn't compute. (The Dolphins also have a very inexperienced head coach, and they had the NFL's very-worst offensive line by PFF's grading last year. The flash of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill sure is enticing, but there's a lot more at play than just that.)

Nevertheless, the rumors won't go away, with "Brady to Miami" trending on Twitter on Friday. That stems from Dale Arnold's Thursday tweet that hinted at Brady working his way to Miami.

That speculation gained steam because Arnold tweeted back in 2020 that Brady would be joining the Buccaneers before that deal was official. It would also make sense from the Dolphins' perspective that they'd have a better chance of winning football games with Tom Brady as their quarterback as opposed to Tua Tagovailoa.

But from Brady's side, it wouldn't seem like a slam dunk of a choice, unless he and his family really wanted to switch coasts down in Florida. There's the aforementioned issue of abandoning teammates who signed with the Bucs to play with him. There's the aforementioned concern with Miami's offensive line. (Signing Terron Armstead helps in that regard but doesn't cure the entire issue.) There's also the consideration of the insane competition in the AFC, which has absorbed the likes of Russell Wilson, Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack and Matt Ryan from the NFC. Deshaun Watson is also staying in the AFC, making Cleveland a threat. Jumping ship from Tampa, where the Bucs are a lock to win the division, to join a Dolphins team that's considered the second or third-best team in their division, let alone conference? That would be an extremely odd choice. (This is perhaps anecdotal and not scientific, but Brady also generally stinks as a quarterback in Miami, for whatever reason. He's 8-10 in his career playing there. He's 270-75 everywhere else. That's madness. Miami has a voodoo over him. Not appealing.)

And from the Bucs' perspective, even if trading Brady landed them a massive haul somewhere between the Russell Wilson trade return and the Deshaun Watson trade return, that wouldn't do a whole lot of good for their chances to win a Super Bowl this year, as they try to maximize this brief, unexpected championship window.

Of course, this is sports, and anything can happen. There's no reason to doubt that there's some truth to be found in that tremendously hedged bit of slightly informed reporting. The Dolphins -- whose owner allegedly tried to illegally recruit Brady to Miami before he officially became a free agent in 2020 -- certainly would want him. And maybe there's something pulling his mind to Miami, whatever that may be.

But actually pulling the trigger and forcing a way to the Dolphins? No way. Can't happen. That's not Brady. Not ever, not now. Not going to happen.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

In:
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Miami Dolphins
• NFL
• Tom Brady