Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the biggest transaction in the 2020 NFL offseason. Football fans were left in shock as Brady left the New England Patriots, an organization he won six Super Bowl championships with during his 20-year career playing for legendary head coach Bill Belichick.

At age 43, would Brady find success with his new team in Tampa Bay – a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in a dozen years and has had just two winning seasons during that span?

Bucs QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There are more than enough reasons to believe that the Buccaneers will win this year with Brady at the helm.

First, let’s consider the number of offensive weapons that he has around him – weapons that Brady didn’t have in New England. Five-time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to follow Brady to Tampa Bay, and joins an arsenal that features a pair of Pro Bowl wide receivers in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.

Second, Brady seems determined to prove that he can win and play at a championship level without Belichick. He’s having fun playing for Bruce Arians, an offensive-minded head coach, in a loose environment in Tampa Bay.

Another factor to consider is that Brady is one of the game’s smartest quarterbacks of all time. Even if there is some physical decline at age 43, Brady can still beat teams with his football I.Q., diagnosing defenses before the snap and finding the favorable match-ups in his pre-snap reads.

With Brady and the 67-year old Arians both in win-now mode due to their age and entering the twilight of their respective careers, there is an incredible sense of urgency to make both of Brady’s upcoming seasons in Tampa Bay count.

It’s a shame that the COVID-19 pandemic won’t allow nearly as many Bucs fans see Brady in person this year as there will be an attendance reduction at Raymond James Stadium to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The Bucs organization has waited a decade to return to having Tampa Bay games sell out, and that would have been the case with Brady’s arrival if not for the coronavirus outbreak in 2020.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and Peyton Manning – Photo by: Getty Images

Aside from trying to win a championship without Belichick, Brady has two more major achievements he’s chasing. Should he and the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl this year he would become just the second quarterback in NFL history to win two Super Bowls with different teams. His friend and former nemesis Peyton Manning became the first, winning Super Bowls with Indianapolis and Denver.

Brady also wants to be on the first team in NFL history to play in and host a Super Bowl in the same year, as Tampa Bay will host Super Bowl 55 in February. Will Brady succeed? The Bucs seem poised to turn their franchise around with the future Hall of Fame quarterback under center, and could make some NFL history in the process. The immediate future seems bright for Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as those betting NFL lines.