Tom Brady admits he seriously considered joining the Bears in free agency

It’s not often that a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback hits the open market, so it was nearly unimaginable for the greatest quarterback in NFL history to become a free agent. Yet, that’s exactly what happened after the 2019 season.

When Tom Brady left the New England Patriots in 2020, he was expected to create a frenzy in free agency. Instead, there wasn’t much of a bidding war. Few teams reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.

Brady, of course, didn’t take kindly to the lack of interest.

“I think what you realize is, there's not as many smart people as you think,” Brady reflected in 2021, per The Boston Herald. “That's just the reality. I think it'd be a no-brainer if you said, 'Hey, you've got a chance to get Wayne Gretzky on your team, or you got a chance to have Michael Jordan on your team.' … 'Oh, we don't need him, no thanks. We're good.' In my mind, I'm kind of thinking, 'OK, let me go show those teams what they're missing.'”

And that’s exactly what he did. In his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady led the team to a championship in Super Bowl LV. By the time he retired in 2022, his impact transformed the culture and trajectory of the Buccaneers’ franchise.

Tom Brady reveals he almost joined the Bears

Brady returned to Raymond James Stadium in Week 4, this time as a color analyst for FOX Sports. During the broadcast of the Buccaneers’ Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady revealed that he nearly joined a different team in free agency: the Chicago Bears.

"Chicago was a team, and I've never told that story before, they were very stealth in their recruitment and I was seriously considering them,” Brady said. “But in the end, it came down to Tampa. And it was close to my son, Jack. I loved [Buccaneers head coach] Bruce Arians and the role that he played in the offense. And ultimately, the great players, like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, that I’m still out there watching today.”

At the time, the Bears were still led by head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Quarterback Nick Foles — who has an interesting relationship with Brady — was also on the roster. Chicago’s wide receiver corps featured Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, and Anthony Miller.

It’s easy to see why Brady chose the Buccaneers. Along with Evans and Godwin, Brady helped Tampa Bay acquire tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette, and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Along with Brady’s offense, the Buccaneers also had a dominant defensive front that was led by Todd Bowles, who was the team’s defensive coordinator at the time.

Although Chicago beat Brady and the Buccaneers 20-19 in Week 5, they finished the season with an 8-8 record. Meanwhile, Brady helped transform Arians’ offense into a juggernaut after some early struggles. 

The Buccaneers entered their bye week with a 7-5 record, but they didn’t lose another game after Week 13. In the postseason, they defeated teams led by Jalen Hurts, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.