Patriots' Tom Brady Predicted To Join AFC Rival

Could New England Patriots legend Tom Brady return to the NFL to play for this AFC rival?

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) runs for a first down on a fourth down play in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on October 27, 2013. (Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post) Miami Dolphins Vs New England Patriots / Allen Eyestone / USA TODAY NETWORK

New England Patriots legend Tom Brady seems quite content with this broadcasting gig, but could the future Hall-of-Famer return to the gridiron?

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges thinks so.

Following Tua Tagovailoa's concussion during the Miami Dolphins' loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, Hodges took to social media to predict that Brady will end up signing with the Dolphins.

So, just how realistic is the prospect of Brady re-joining the NFL ranks as a player?

At this point, it seems incredibly unlikely.

Brady is 47 years old and did not play at all in 2023. Sitting out a year is pretty significant at Brady's age, so it seems difficult to envision him being effective on the football field right now.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner has teased NFL returns since retiring after the 2022 campaign, and it's important to note that he did unretire following the 2021 season.

But again, this scenario is a bit different considering Brady has already missed a full year. It's also entirely possible that Brady's previous comments about a comeback are merely to drum up some fuel to keep his name active in the media.

Brady actually did look very serviceable back during his final season in 2022, when he threw for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Taking that into consideration, it wouldn't be a complete shock if the Dolphins reached out to him, but an actual NFL return just seems hard to fathom for Brady at this juncture.

Brady spent 20 years with the Patriots, leading the franchise to six Super Bowl championships and nine Super Bowl appearances. He then won a seventh title with the Buccaneers during the 2020-21 campaign.

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