The Cowboys’ dominant win over the Bucs last night did something potentially far more ominous than merely to set the stage for the matchups in the next round of the NFC playoffs. By eliminating the Bucs from the playoffs – – and by extension Tom Brady from the playoffs – – the Cowboys started the clock on another significant NFL-related competition that officially began around midnight EST last evening. I am referring to the competition to determine:
- Who will be the bigger drama queen in this off season, Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers?
Let the stories begin …
- Will either/both retire this year? Brady can go to FOX as their lead game analyst for a cool $37M per year; Rodgers can continue his spiritual journey on astral plane #6 with or without his current lady friend. Both can be expected to milk those just-below-the-surface storylines.
- If either/both decide to play again next season, will either/both be back with their current employers? Brady’s contract with the Bucs technically runs through the 2026 season but the years from 2023-2026 can void simply by either side saying the contractual equivalent of “3-6-9, I resign!” Rodgers’ contract situation is far more complex and the most advantageous way for the Packers to move on without him would be for them to trade Rodgers before June 1st.
Let the speculations begin…
Already on the table are rumors that Brady is coveted by the Raiders and that he likes Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis. Already on the table are rumors that Rodgers is coveted by the Jets but I have not yet seen any “insider stories” about any sort of attraction between Rodgers and Jets’ owner, Woody Johnson.
Look, folks … Both Brady and Rodgers love the spotlight – – for their on-field successes and for their off-field activities. Every time there is a new speculative report about what is next for either man, that will generate an environment where some reporter somewhere will try to shove a microphone in front of them while shouting a question about the most recent speculation. And unless Brady or Rodgers is on his way to the lavatory for an urgent personal need, both men will enjoy the encounter even if they give away no new information and feign minor annoyance at the question.
I have no idea what Aaron Rodgers will choose to do next year and/or for the rest of his life. Based on previous decisions that he made and based on statements reported to be his, I can say with total confidence that he and I will only think alike about life situations by accident. However, there is one factual item I can put out here that ought to – in my mind not necessarily his – have significant influence on his decision about playing NFL football in 2023:
- His contract contains bonuses and incentives that would allow him to make as much as $59,515,000 for one more season of football.
- That is a lot of cheese to leave on the table…
I also have no idea what Tom Brady will chose to do next year and/or for the rest of his life. He has lived and seemingly enjoyed a “celebrity’s life”; I have no experience in anything remotely related to that. However, it should come to no one’s surprise here that I have a contrarian view of Brady’s 10-year deal with FOX as an analyst.
- I do not think Tom Brady will enjoy being a color analyst where the travel requirements will have him on the road twice as much as would be the case if he were a player AND I do not think Tom Brady will be very good as a color analyst.
For the first caution above, I take Brady at his word that he wants to be present for his kids and their upbringing. Players get half their games at home; color analysts are on the road every week – – save for the accidental scheduling where the #1 broadcast team does a game in Brady’s hometown. [Aside: If Brady leaves the Bucs, the #1 broadcast team for FOX will not be in Tampa often.]
For the second caution above, I do not see Tom Brady as being relaxed and comfortable behind a microphone. Sure, he is ebullient when interviewed after a Super Bowl victory as would anyone with emotions above the level of “Automaton”; but in his press appearances under other circumstances, the vibe I detect is that he would certainly prefer to be somewhere else so long as that “somewhere else” is not some sort of chamber of horrors. Maybe I am interpreting his press conference demeanor completely wrong; I am hardly a paragon of human sensitivity. But if I am only partially correct, Brady will grow to dislike his job in the booth and when people do not like what they are doing, they rarely do it well.
If I were smart, I would leave it here; present a final observation and go collect information for tomorrow’s rant. But because I have no problem with embarrassing myself in public, let me offer my prediction as to the final outcome for both QBs after all the Sturm und Drang that will happen in the next several months:
- I believe that Aaron Rodgers will play again in 2023 and that the Packers will trade him to either the Raiders (reunion with Davante Adams), or the Jets or the Commanders.
- I believe Tom Brady will also play again in 2023 and that he will sign a two-year deal with either the Bucs (stays close to his kids), the Dolphins (Tua’s health is a big question mark), Titans (reunion with former teammate Mike Vrabel) or “wherever Sean Payton decides to go”.
Finally, since I have offered some predictions today let me close with this reminder:
“It is easier to predict the pasture than the future.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
I appreciate you saying that Tom Brady will not go to the Las Vegas Raiders.