Tennessee Titans
BY COLIN DAVERN
The Tom Brady era is likely over in New England. Brady is not getting any younger and is only regressing. It’s in the Patriots best interest to begin the search for a new quarterback that legendary head coach Bill Belichick can build around for the years ahead.
Even though the Patriots are likely going to move on from him, Tom Brady has no interest in retiring this offseason, and a handful of teams are rumored to want his services, one of those teams include the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are the team I want Tom Brady to play for the least. Arguably, Ryan Tannehill would be too expensive to keep, but that concern is a bit far-fetched. Tannehill will likely carry a cap hit of $20-25 million with his new deal, which is middle of the pack for his position. The Titans also have almost $50 million in cap space this offseason, so they have more than enough money to keep him.
Getting rid of Tannehill would likely worsen the Titans, and getting Tom Brady probably won’t help them further. A 42-year-old quarterback is not an upgrade in any way, no matter how good he’s been in the past.
Bringing in Brady would mean a significantly different system for the Titans to run next year with a much less mobile quarterback. Brady also likely carries a $30 million cap hit, higher than Tannehill’s projected cap hit. That’s a financial reason not to keep him on top of all the other weaknesses he has at his age.
The Tennessee Titans having Brady replace Tannehill is an illogical move that does nothing but worsen them, and it’s not something I want to see from a team that has lots of promise for the future.
The Chargers are in a similar predicament, but they play in a major market and Brady better fits their offensive scheme. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is a former teammate and friend of Brady, and that will change the dynamic and hold Tennessee back from greater successes.
Los Angeles Chargers
BY JACOB STIENBERG
Tom Brady is undoubtably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football. However, he still has more to prove in the twilight of his career. With Brady scheduled to hit free agency for the first time in his career, rumors are swirling about where he will end up next year. One team I think he should avoid is the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers are coming off a disappointing 5-11 season in 2019, one year after making the playoffs with a 12-4 record. After the season, they announced their decision to move on from long-time quarterback Philip Rivers after 16 seasons. Signing one aging quarterback to replace another aging quarterback would be a lateral move from a personnel standpoint.
From a divisional standpoint, Brady would be on the worst team in an up and coming AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a Super Bowl championship with the best quarterback in the game in Patrick Mahomes, the Las Vegas Raiders are on the rise and the Denver Broncos have a very talented defense. The Chargers are behind the curve in that division. It’s likely that Brady could be going from a first-place team every year to a last place team for the next three years.
Colin argues that Brady should not sign with the Tennessee Titans because it would make them less competitive. However, the Titans offensive scheme is similar to what Brady has played in his entire career. It would be a much more logical destination for Brady because of his familiarity with head coach Mike Vrabel, who played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008.
If the Titans manage to re-sign running back Derrick Henry, the load on Brady’s shoulders would be much less than it has been in the last couple seasons.
After all, the Chargers don’t have as much to offer as the Titans do. Their offensive line is atrocious, which is a liability for an aging non-mobile quarterback. The scheme as it is would not fit Brady’s strengths and it would take a lot of work to get on the same page with head coach Anthony Lynn. In all, Brady’s presence does not make the Chargers better than they were last year.
Brady’s legacy is already cemented no matter what the rest of his career entails. However, if he wants more to prove, it makes little sense for him to finish his career with the Chargers.
