Tom Brady has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last two seasons after leaving New England, where he spent 20 campaigns. His free agency was one of the biggest in NFL history and Tampa Bay won the sweepstakes for one of the best football players of all time.
But that doesn't mean there weren't any other teams who were almost able to land the legendary quarterback. Dana White, the president of the UFC, came out and said he had a deal in place for Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski to join the Las Vegas Raiders.
Brady recently opened up about the story. He went so far as to say that he never planned on being anywhere else except Tampa Bay:
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"You know, since I came to this organization, it’s been amazing. It’s just been an amazing experience for me to come to this place and be as supportive as I had over a long period of time... I’ve read all these stories about all these different places I was supposed to go or could have gone, and I’m like, I only was gonna go to, you know, one place which was here.”
This seems to debunk White's claim, but it's been reported that the deal was on track and that owner Mark Davis knew about it. Interestingly, the Raiders aren't the only team Tom Brady has been linked to.
There were strong rumors that the seven-time Super Bowl winner was poised to join the Miami Dolphins this offseason. After Brian Flores' lawsuit quashed that possibility, the quarterback changed his mind on retirement.
The lawsuit also brought to light conversations between the quarterback and the Dolphins during his time in New England. The Dolphins were fined and penalized for tampering with Brady. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders see similar treatment.
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Where was Tom Brady during training camp?
The legendary quarterback made waves by missing a chunk of training camp for "personal reasons." There was a lot of speculation that he went on vacation to the Bahamas and that he, wildly enough, was on The Masked Singer.
The quarterback said in a press conference that he was just dealing with life, effectively putting the wild theories to rest. It was a somber announcement that indicated that his personal issues were just that - personal.
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Reports do suggest that he was on vacation, but that it was a much-needed trip for him and his family.
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The Masked Singer rumors have yet to subside. It seems as though they wil only be quashed or confirmed when the season airs.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Buccaneers.com and H/T Sportskeeda.
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