NFL Analyst Floats Idea of Tom Brady Joining the Detroit Lions

Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk floated the idea of Tom Brady making his way to Detroit to play for the Lions in 2023.

The greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, is a free agent for just the second time in his illustrious career. His options are wide open and with that rampant speculation on what his decision will be is at an all-time high as we near the end of the 2022 NFL season and transition into the 2023 offseason and free agency period.

So far a number of teams have been dropped as possible destinations for Brady if he decides not to retire or return to the Buccaneers including the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins, the Las Vegas Raiders, and most recently the Washington Commanders.

Now, another dark horse candidate has emerged amongst the speculative teams that could look to add Brady to their team in 2023 - the Detroit Lions.

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Pro Football Talk's Chris Simms linked Brady to join the Detroit Lions this upcoming season, and his fellow host, Mike Florio, didn't downplay this scenario.

“Wouldn’t that be something? Tom Brady, back in Michigan,” Florio wrote. “Tom Brady, with a Lions team that finished 2022 strong. A Lions team with an impressive nucleus of talented players. A Lions team that quarterback Jared Goff may be able to lead on a deep run in the postseason, but may not be able to take over the top.”

That becomes the question for the Lions; would they be willing to trade Jared Goff if that allows them to get Tom Brady? Goff has somewhat brought his career back to life after being traded from the Rams to Detroit in the Matthew Stafford deal. He struggled at first, but this season he impressed with the amount of talent he had around him. Goff isn't Brady, so it could make sense for Detroit to possibly entertain the idea of how they could make this work.

The Lions have a plethora of talent on the offensive side of the ball and proved this past season that they can score with the best of them. However, the problem with Detroit has been their defense - where they struggled to stop teams from scoring. They are a young, budding team, and bringing in a veteran like Brady could go a long way in getting the mindset to compete at the highest level and push for a Super Bowl.

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It is hard to imagine Brady taking such a leap from Tampa Bay to a team like the Lions, but as Florio points out, it would be hard for them to say no if someone called on Brady's behalf.

“At this point, it’s nothing more than a dart thrown loosely in the direction of the board,” Florio noted. “But if the Lions get a phone call from someone on Brady’s behalf in the coming weeks [or if they already have], it won’t be easy to say no.”

The Brady sweepstakes are heating up as we near the end of the 2022 season. It will continue to be the center of free agency talk as he, in his own right, continues to mull over all of his options to decide what is best for him moving forward.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.

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