Champion quarterback Brady to sign with Tampa Bay Buccaneers: reports

[March 18, 2020]  (Reuters) - Six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady will sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.

Brady, 42, has been the face of the New England Patriots for two decades, but he said on Tuesday he was leaving the franchise. The announcement of his departure came a day before he became a free agent.

NFL Network reported Brady's deal with the Bucs would be worth about $30 million a year.

By joining a team with an elite receiving corps and a top defense, Brady has a chance to join Peyton Manning as the only quarterback to win Super Bowls with two different teams.

Brady's many records while in New England included most Super Bowl victories (six) and appearances (nine) and most playoff wins (30).

Brady, a surefire first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible, was a lightly regarded prospect coming out of college, the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.

At the start of the 2001 campaign Brady, at the time an obscure backup, took over the starting role in the second game of the season after starter Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury.

With Brady, the Patriots were a perennial contender who in the 2019 season extended their NFL record by winning an 11th consecutive division title.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady speaks at a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 31, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar

But for all his achievements in New England, Brady's reign ended with a whimper when the Patriots were knocked out of the playoffs in a surprise loss to the Tennessee Titans in January.

It seems he now has a new home and a chance to write a final chapter in a remarkable career, including possibly another Super Bowl appearance.

And the venue for next year's game?

Tampa.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Additional reporting by Frank Pingue, Steve Keating and Amy Tennery; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln Feast.)

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