Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
'New Football Journey': Tom Brady Signs With Buccaneers
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
March 20, 2020

Share

TAMPA, Fla. — A new look for the NFL: Tom Brady in Tampa Bay pewter and red rather than Patriots red, white and blue.
The six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback signed a two-year contract in free agency on Friday, embarking on a “new football journey” with the Buccaneers. The deal guarantees $50 million and includes a $10 million signing bonus and $15 million salary for 2020.
The 42-year-old quarterback who spent the first 20 years of his career with the Patriots announced his decision in an Instagram post, adding he’s thankful for the opportunity.
“Excited, humble and hungry … If there is one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that,” Brady wrote.
“I look forward to meeting all my new teammates and coaches and proving to them that they can believe and trust in me,” the four-time Super Bowl MVP added. “I have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I’m gonna not gonna say much more. I’m just gonna get to work!”
The signing comes three days after Brady announced on social media that he would not return to New England, ending his historic run with the Patriots.
He joins an offense that led the NFL in passing yards last season, featuring a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, and a young, developing running back in Ronald Jones.

Photo of Tom Brady
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The Bucs Haven’t Made the Playoffs Since 2007

What the Bucs didn’t have in 2019, when they went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the 12th straight season was a quarterback who protected the football.
Brady, who turns 43 in August, will be counted on to change that. His career 1.79 interception percentage is the second-best ever behind Aaron Rodgers among players with at least 2,500 career pass attempts.
“Tom is the most successful quarterback in the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make those around him better,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said.
“I have had the privilege to work with some of the best passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different,” Arians added. “He is a proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship.”
Arians, who’s in his second year with Tampa Bay, has worked with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer during a long NFL coaching career.
The Bucs haven’t made the playoffs since 2007 and don’t have a postseason win since their Super Bowl championship run in 2002.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht worked for the Patriots when New England drafted Brady in the sixth round — No. 199 overall — in 2000.

Brady Appeared in Nine Super Bowls and 13 AFC Championship Games With the Patriots

“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates,” Licht said.
“Through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has,” Licht added. “He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization.”
Brady appeared in nine Super Bowls and 13 AFC championship games with the Patriots. New England won 17 division titles during
The three-time league MVP is coming off what generally is regarded as the worst non-injury season of his career, throwing for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions in his final season with the Patriots.
Still, New England won 12 games before a sputtering offense was held to 13 points in a first-round playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Jameis Winston, meanwhile, was a turnover machine with Tampa Bay, leading the league with 5,109 passing yards while also becoming the first “30-30” player in NFL history with 33 TD passes and 30 interceptions.
Opponents returned a league-record seven interceptions for touchdowns last season. Winston also lost five fumbles, with opponents converting his combined 35 turnovers into 112 points.
“It’s not a talent issue, it’s a performance issue … turning the ball over,” Arians said after the season, summing up why the Bucs, who scored a franchise-best 458 points in 2019, were unable to end their long playoff drought.

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

DON'T MISS

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

DON'T MISS

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

DON'T MISS

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

DON'T MISS

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

DON'T MISS

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

DON'T MISS

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

DON'T MISS

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

DON'T MISS

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

UP NEXT

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

UP NEXT

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

Diehard Baseball Fans in Sacramento Welcome Athletics and Hope They Stay Awhile

UP NEXT

Carbon Monoxide Was Cause of Death of Brett Gardner’s Teen Son, Officials Confirm

UP NEXT

Bettors Back Duke Men and UConn Women for National Championships

UP NEXT

Flores Homers, Matos and Wade Also Go Deep to Help Giants Cap Sweep of Astros

UP NEXT

After Briefly Disappearing, TikTok Went Back to Normal. Or Did It?

UP NEXT

Ohtani’s Walk-off Homer Boosts Dodgers to 8-0 With Another Comeback Win

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

14 hours ago

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

14 hours ago

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

15 hours ago

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

16 hours ago

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

17 hours ago

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

18 hours ago

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

18 hours ago

Trump Doubles Down That Tariffs Will Pay Off for Americans

18 hours ago

Senate GOP Approves Trump’s Tax Breaks and Spending Cuts After Late-Night Session

19 hours ago

How Schools Can Help Students Facing Homelessness Get to Class

19 hours ago

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are set to address supporters in Bakersfield, California, on Tuesday, Apr...

13 hours ago

13 hours ago

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

13 hours ago

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

13 hours ago

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

14 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

A Visalia traffic stop on Friday, April 4, 2025, for tinted windows led to the arrest of a 22-year-old man after police found $30,000 worth of Xanax pills and a pound of marijuana in his vehicle. (Visalia PD)
14 hours ago

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

15 hours ago

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

16 hours ago

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

17 hours ago

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend