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One year after flirting with the Miami Dolphins, Tom Brady could end up playing for the team next season.
Per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Brady to Miami is “definitely on the table” if he wants to keep playing in 2023.
The NFL disciplined the Dolphins in August after an investigation discovered the team violated the integrity of the game and tampering rules.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was fined $1.5 million and suspended for more than two months. The team had to forfeit its first-round draft pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024.
The punishment came after former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who filed a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three teams over alleged racist hiring practices, said Ross tried to get him to recruit “a prominent quarterback” who was under contract to another team during a meeting on Ross’ yacht.
Flores said he refused and left the boat before the player arrived. The NFL’s investigation identified the player as Brady. It was also determined the Dolphins spoke with Sean Payton when he was still working for the New Orleans Saints.
In April, Florio reported Brady’s initial retirement announcement was part of a plan that would have seen him become a minority owner for the Dolphins. They would have moved to acquire Brady’s contractual rights as a player to make him their starting quarterback and acquire Payton from the Saints to be their head coach.
Per Front Office Sports, the plan was scrapped after Flores’ class action lawsuit was filed.
The Dolphins do have questions at quarterback because of Tua Tagovailoa’s health. He has suffered two reported concussions this season, including one in Miami’s Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers that has kept him out for the past two games. The 24-year-old has already been ruled out of Sunday’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Brady can become a free agent this offseason. He has not yet indicated if he will return in 2023, but there certainly appears to be a relationship in place with several key decision-makers for the Dolphins that would make it a viable destination if he wants to keep playing.
