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The Buccaneers are entering their week off at a crossroads, perhaps in a few ways.
With three losses in four games, a 6-2 start melted to 7-5. An NFC South Championship won’t happen, and it’s fair to wonder if they even make it to the playoffs.
Based on their last four games – Vikings, Falcons, Lions, Falcons – an 11-5 record is possible, if not likely, making the team’s first playoff appearance in 13 years more likely. as possible.
The organization has a bigger goal than ending a streak dating back to 2007. The Buccaneers ultimately want to be sure quarterback Tom Brady chooses to return for 2021.
In recent weeks, there has been a growing sense in league circles that the Buccaneers ownership sees Brady’s return for a second season as a vital part of their financial situation. The pandemic prevented the Buccaneers from selling all tickets for the first time in a very long time. Next year, the public health crisis will probably have calmed down to the point where the Bucs can open the floodgates again.
The question is whether Brady will be on the team. While he hasn’t said anything publicly to suggest he is considering retiring or trying to play elsewhere in 2021, he hasn’t said anything publicly in 2019 about leaving New England either. . With drastically reduced media access to practices and locker rooms, it’s much more difficult to get the kind of inside information that could shed light on his plans, and his side hasn’t disclosed anything to the usual media suspects about whether whether or not Brady doesn’t fully plan on playing Tampa next year.
He’s technically under contract with the Bucs for next season, but there’s nothing stopping him from asking for release. Brady could also easily retire until he was released or traded for peanuts; As he received no signing bonus, he owed the team none of the $ 25 million he received in 2020.
At the heart of whether Brady will want to return to Tampa is whether he will want to continue to cushion criticism, both open and subtle, about the offensive performance. Coach Bruce Arians regularly creates the impression that all offensive struggles go back to Brady, that he has all the power to pick games and that any failed decisions are his, not the coaching staff’s.
After 12 straight weeks of games, the week off gives all parties a chance to step back and re-evaluate, even if only for a moment. If Property hasn’t used the brief hiatus in action to make the Arians understand that the goal is to bring Brady back next year, maybe Property should. Then again, Arians is smart enough to do what and who will be making money next year for the franchise; the fans who fill the stadium won’t be there to see the Arians coach but to see Brady play.
Ultimately, decisions might depend on how things go in the final quarter of the season. The Arians decided to leave Jameis Winston after 2019 because he failed to stand up when games mattered most. If the Buccaneers continue to stumble and underperform, the Arians may decide Brady isn’t the answer, Brady may decide the Arians aren’t the solution, and property (which hasn’t been shy about firing of coaches) may decide that the best way to keep Brady around in 2021 is to hire someone else to get the most out of Brady.
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