TAMPA, Fla. – It’s official: Tom Brady is the starting quarterback for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The team on Friday tweeted the news, which had been reported by several media outlets earlier this week.
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Welcome to Tampa Bay, @TomBrady. 😏 pic.twitter.com/VJooGYwwiA
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 20, 2020
Brady ended his historic run in New England, announcing on social media Tuesday that he would become a free agent for the first time in his career.
Armed with plenty of salary cap space, a roster featuring a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and a coach with a proven track record of working with high-profile quarterbacks, the Bucs took a shot at making themselves relevant for the first time in more than a decade.
Tampa Bay ranked 30th among 32 teams in home attendance, averaging 51,898 per game last season. Within hours of reports of the team closing in on a deal with Brady, the website selling season passes for 2020 showed more than 2,400 people in a queue waiting for an opportunity to make purchases.
The Bucs went 7-9 last season and missed the playoffs for the 12th straight year, the second-longest drought in the league behind the Cleveland Browns. They haven’t won a postseason game since their 2002 Super Bowl championship run.
Landing Brady not only figures to fill empty seats at Raymond James Stadium and make the Bucs a playoff contender right away, but also raises the prospect of Tampa Bay becoming the first team to win a Super Bowl in the host city’s stadium.
Next season’s Super Bowl is in Tampa.
Brady won 17 division titles and appeared in nine Super Bowls — winning six — with the Patriots. He’s a four-time Super Bowl MVP, 14-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time regular season MVP who has made 41 postseason starts.
The Bucs have played 15 playoff games in their 44-season history, none since 2007.
In signing Brady, Tampa Bay also officially moved on from Jameis Winston, who became a free agent Wednesday after five seasons as the team’s quarterback.