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About the Author: Matt Matera

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What sounded like a pipe dream when it was first thought of has now become a reality. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing coveted free agent quarterback Tom Brady, who spent the last 20 years with the New England Patriots. After reports came about on Tuesday that Brady has chosen the Bucs, Brady posted a picture to his Instagram on Friday morning of him signing the deal and making his first public comments about playing for Tampa Bay.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B99KHG5hC_n/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The Bucs also confirmed the news as well.

Jason Licht, who over the past two years has brought in two-time coach of the year Bruce Arians and now the greatest of all time in Brady, commented about the move on the Bucs official website.

“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates,” Licht said. “I’ve known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization.”

Bruce Arians has worked with some of the best quarterbacks that the NFL has seen with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck. Now he can add Brady to that list.

“Tom is the most successful quarterback in the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make those around him better,” Arians said. “I have had the privilege to work with some of the best passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different. He is a proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship.”

Brady replaces Jameis Winston, the Bucs’ first-round pick in 2015 and the team’s quarterback over the last five seasons. Winston has thrown more interceptions – 88 – since entering the league than any other quarterback since 2015, including a league-high 30 last year. Winston’s inability to reduce his high amount of turnovers, especially in a contract year, led the Bucs to explore their options at the quarterback position in free agency this offseason and Brady was at the top of their list.

Brady, who is considered by many as the greatest quarterback of all time, was the most sought after free agent this offseason with much speculation about where he would go. And after winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, Brady looks to write a new chapter of his career and contend for another championship in Tampa Bay in 2020. The Bucs beat out the Los Angeles Chargers and the Patriots to land Brady.

Patriots Qb Tom Brady

Patriots QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Getty Images

The 42-year old quarterback has had a historic NFL career with six Super Bowl victories, three league MVPs, 14 Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro nominations. Brady has thrown for 74,571 yards and 541 touchdowns in his career, which are both second all-time in the NFL for both categories. He also has 11,388 yards and 73 touchdowns in 41 games in the postseason. Brady’s 30 postseason wins are the most in NFL history, as are his 219 regular season wins.

In the previous years, Brady has given the Patriots more team-friendly deals in order to keep to their winning ways and sign other pieces for New England. But now in the twilight of his career, Brady gets the opportunity to both get paid for his career accolades and compete for another Lombardi Trophy with a team in the Bucs that have plenty of weapons for him to utilize.

Bruce Arians and Jason Licht are in win-now mode, and Arians made it clear at the NFL Scouting Combine that they were interested in pursuing the six-time Super Bowl champion. Having two Pro Bowl receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to throw to was another convincing factor to come to Tampa Bay along with the financial compensation for Brady.

With the signing of Brady, the Bucs are now in the conversation to not only win the NFC South Division, but be a Super Bowl contender. Super Bowl LV takes place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay at the conclusion of the 2020 season, which could potentially make the Bucs the first team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl in their own stadium if they were to reach the big game for the second time in franchise history.

If they do so it will be largely due to the signing of the legend that is Tom Brady.

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