In Tom Brady, Bucs Finally Land the Big Fish

After years of being jilted by big names, Tampa Bay is finally bringing one home.

It wasn't supposed to end this way.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans know better. They've been duped at the altar far too many times, one big-name target after another leading them on.

Bill Parcells. (Twice)

Brett Favre.

Bo Jackson

Chip Kelly.

At this point, the Bucs have enough bridesmaid dresses to fill the indoor practice facility at the Advent Health Training Center.

That's why you'll have to forgive the Tampa Bay faithful for being just as much in disbelief as every die-hard Patriots fan as this week's events unfolded. Brady sending his fond farewell to the only place his 20-year NFL career has known, and setting sail for the 813 and officially signing his contract Friday morning. 

Don't believe it? He posted a picture of himself, the contract and a pen on Instagram.

Outside of their Super Bowl run in 2002, the Bucs haven't won a single playoff game during Brady's career. 

Tom Brady has won 30.

Brady has started 283 games in his career. He could start 283 more, lose them all, and still have a better career winning percentage than entire Bucs franchise. 

Think about that.

Nobody could blame the Bucs for trying, sure. Even when most still expected Brady to return to New England, Tampa Bay's potential interest in pursuing him seemed adorable, at best, and downright risky, at worst. After all, in order to go after him, the Bucs would have to let Jameis Winston, who just led the NFL with over 5,000 passing yards in 2019, hit the free agent market himself. 

The Bucs have a long history of letting young quarterbacks get away, only to watch them win championships elsewhere. In fact, the team has never signed a quarterback they've drafted to a second contract. Would they really let Winston become the next Doug Williams or Steve Young?

But even after Brady made it official that he would be playing elsewhere in 2020, the Bucs still seemed like a long shot, despite all of the legitimate positives the team could offer. Two Pro Bowl wide receivers in their prime, a fun-but-no-BS head coach who knows how to win, a quickly improving defense loaded with both young and veteran talents. Warm weather, no state income tax.

Still, the list of challengers to Tampa Bay's chances of landing Brady continued to shrink. The San Francisco 49ers, Brady's childhood favorite, were out. The Indianapolis Colts went after Philip Rivers. Jon Gruden and his Las Vegas Raiders opted for Marcus Mariota as a backup to Derek Carr. Team after team after team fell off the wagon.

Except for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ah, now here's the part where Bucs fans know the story turns. 

The Bolts had it all going for them. Plenty of offensive weapons. A brand new stadium about to open. An enormous market for a worldwide icon deserving of the Hollywood glare. Brady had just announced his new production company, based in Los Angeles, after all. Everything about both business and common sense said the Chargers would be the bride this time around.

Instead, Brady picked the Bucs.

Sure, there will be doubters who groan about Brady's age (he'll be 43 when the 2020 season kicks off), wondering if he's got anything left in the tank. There will surely be die-hard Winston fans who bemoan the team's decision to move on from him, no matter who his replacement would have been.

But as someone who was born at St. Joseph's Women's, a swing pass from the Old Sombrero, the seismic impact of Brady's decision cannot be overstated.

Growing up a Bucs lifer, you get used to disappointment. Walking past your front-running friends in their 49ers hats and Cowboys shirts and Steelers jerseys and Broncos Halloween costumes, pretending to be proud as your don your puffy creamsicle Starter jacket (you know, the kind you can't find on PoshMark for less than $100 now). 

There was a long, lean existence for Bucs fans between the quick surge of the late 70s and the pewter power that fueled the team's jolt of success in the late 90s. Tony Dungy, Monte Kiffin, Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Ronde Barber, and Jon Gruden gave those Tampa Bay faithful an all-too-quick glimpse into national relevance, culminating in a Super Bowl XXXVII victory following the 2002 season.

Since they hoisted that Lombardi, the Bucs have had as many winning seasons as they have fired coaches (five), fading back into NFL obscurity, while Brady polishes his six Super Bowl rings, four Super Bowl MVP awards, three NFL MVPs, and God only knows what else fits in his trophy room.

The impact of Brady's decision was felt immediately along the Tampa Bay ticket front, as the line to purchase season tickets on TicketMaster's website quickly climbed over 6,000. His impact will be felt in the locker room, as the Bucs learn from someone who knows what it looks like to build a championship culture and maintain it year after year.

It will be felt in the long-suffering Bucs fans who have always known better than to hope that the greatest quarterback in NFL history would choose them.

TB to TB.

Who would have thought?