Brian Flores Prevented Tom Brady from Leaving Buccaneers to Join Dolphins

Another branch in the twisted story that has been Tampa Bay's transition from 2021 to 2022.

There were no rumors of free agents getting ready to leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading south to be Miami Dolphins in 2022, but if stories are believed, the quarterback everyone wants to follow may have been headed there himself. 

So, what stopped it? A lawsuit, filed by former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

It dropped on February 1st, 2022. 

On the very same day, Tom Brady announced he was stepping away from the game of football. 

Coincidence? Maybe not, at least not according to reports from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

READ MORE: Bruce Arians says Tom Brady gets way too much credit for Buccaneers offense

According to multiple Florio postings on the site, the Flores lawsuit derailed the plan that had been set in motion, beginning with Brady's announcement. 

"Per multiple sources...the Dolphins planned to pursue Sean Payton to be the coach and Tom Brady to be the starting quarterback," Florio wrote on February 28th. "The plan was scrapped after Brian Flores filed his lawsuit against the NFL generally and the Dolphins, Giants, and Broncos specifically."

On Thursday, Florio doubled down and provided even more depth to the report, writing, "The Dolphins privately acknowledged that they had contacted the Saints about the possibility of hiring Payton. As to Brady, the Dolphins privately acknowledged that there had been discussions about Brady becoming a minority owner of the team."

Owning the team and playing quarterback are two different things. And Florio expanded on the next layer to a plan straight out of a Bond film, or Austin Powers at the very minimum. 

"After Brady became a minority owner," Florio continued. "The Dolphins would have indeed acquired the contractual rights to employ Payton from the Saints. Then, the Dolphins would have at some point gotten the rights from the Buccaneers to bring Brady to the roster."

Again, some will believe the stories as told, and some will write them off as urban legends being sprinkled around by bored media members looking to keep numbers up until the NFL Draft hype caps out in late April. 

READ MORE: Bruce Arians Recruited Larry Fitzgerald in 2021

No matter, this offseason for Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been one for the ages. 

Something books and documentaries get made about. 

And I for one can't wait to stream it on whatever platform pays TB12 the most money to produce it.

For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!