New report reveals Buccaneers QB Tom Brady could join AFC team

Football fans didn't have to wait until the offseason for the latest rumor linking Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady with the Miami Dolphins to appear. 

"As one source with general knowledge of the various dynamics regarding all things Brady (a source who firmly believed Brady could land with the Dolphins back in 2020) put it recently, the possibility is 'definitely on the table,'" Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted about Brady potentially signing with Miami for a piece published Thursday. 

History suggests this is a "where there's smoke, there's fire" report. Florio mentioned last February that the Dolphins wanted to pair Brady with former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton for the 2022 NFL season. Miami was later punished by the league for violating tampering rules regarding the 45-year-old and Payton. 

When asked in June, Brady neither confirmed nor denied that he retired last winter, in part, in an attempt to force a move from the Buccaneers to the Dolphins. 

Florio pointed out that the Dolphins have signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa signed via a deal that will earn him roughly $4.738 million for the 2023 campaign. 

While the club only has until May to decline or exercise the fifth-year option attached to Tagovailoa's rookie contract, his status with the franchise and in the NFL, in general, is very much in question due to his worrisome history of concussions and other physical setbacks. 

The Dolphins likely won't be the only suitors for Brady if he elects to hit free agency when the new NFL year opens in March. It's been said the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers could all kick the figurative tires on signing the G.O.A.T. if he decides it's time to move on from the Buccaneers while remaining an active NFL player. 

Regardless of Brady's intentions, Thursday's update hints the Dolphins are willing to have Tagovailoa serve as a QB2 later this year.