On March 20th, 2020, one of the craziest signings turned the tides of the football world. A nightmare for the people of Boston, and a dream come true for the people of Tampa Bay, Tom Brady was officially a member of the Buccaneers.

Possibly the greatest quarterback of all time, (depending on how you rank the all time greats) Brady took to social media, officially signing a contract with the NFC South’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth two years and $50 million dollars, including $9 million in incentives, ($4.5 million in incentives per year) first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The contract includes a no trade clause and no tag clause as well. 

The fourty-two year-old quarterback makes the shocking move following an incredible twenty-year career with the Patriots, in which he won six Super Bowl titles, three MVP awards, and was nominated to fourteen Pro Bowls, all according to Pro Football Reference. If you don’t think that six Super Bowl titles is crazy enough, that’s as many as the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise alone. Point being, the twenty-year run of trio Tom Brady, Bill Belichick (Patriots coach) and Robert Kraft (Patriots owner) was one fans will never forget. 

Brady will now join an offense headlined by two wide-receivers, twenty-six year-old Mike Evans and twenty-four year-old Chris Godwin. Along with that, Brady’s signing makes the NFC South one of the more “stacked” divisions in terms of quarterbacks in the NFL. (he joins New Orleans’ Drew Brees, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan & Carolina’s Teddy Bridgewater) 

Brady’s signing changes the way the game is seen extremely. New England, who had been one of the biggest dynasties during those twenty years, now could miss out on a playoff spot, giving Buffalo a chance to take the division for the first time since 1995, according to National Champs.net. The last time the Patriots have lost a division title alone is 2008 (Miami Dolphins).

On the other hand, the Buccaneers could be a playoff team for the first time since 2007, according to champsorchumps.us. The new look Bucs could also be a threat to the division’s top team, the New Orleans Saints. 

Not to add any pressure to Brady and the Bucs, but Tampa is the host for Super Bowl 55, and the host has never made it to the Super Bowl in that respective season. On top of that, the 2020 season will feature a new playoff format, where seven teams from each conference will make it instead of the usual six. 

So, will Brady finally bring Tampa Bay to football glory? Will the money be worth it? It will truly be an interesting NFL season.