With the Bucs, Tom Brady has taken on more of a recruiting role than he ever did in New England. The addition of Julio Jones is just another example of that.

Since Brady arrived in Tampa Bay two and a half years ago, the number of players he has helped to bring in is staggering. It started with luring Rob Gronkowski out of retirement. But the Hall of Fame quarterback has also been part of the reason the likes of Leonard Fournette, Antonio Brown, Russell Gage, Kyle Rudolph, Logan Ryan, Richard Sherman, Akiem Hicks and more have joined the Bucs’ roster over the years.

With a talented roster already assembled, the addition of Brady made the Bucs an immediate Super Bowl contender. The chance to compete for a championship and to play with the G.O.A.T. is a strong lure for veterans. General manager Jason Licht spoke about Brady’s role in the recruitment process last week.

“If I’m thinking about a player or we are as a staff, I’ll give him a call and see if he can help us out and he’s always willing to do it,” Licht said. “We’re usually on the same page with (what players we want to bring in). We didn’t have to kick too many weeds to find out about Julio Jones. We’ve known about him awhile, and Kyle Rudolph was the best tight end that was available. But, we’re usually on the same page. We have a lot of communication – so does Todd [Bowles] and Tom [Brady] and myself. We talk a lot about players.”

Brady Defers Credit For Successful Recruiting Efforts To Others

Bucs QBs Tom Brady and Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Brady spoke to the media after Monday’s practice and modestly directed attention back to the team. Instead of taking any credit for recruiting free agents, he gave it to the organization and his teammates around him.