Tom Brady Almost Went To The Bears Instead Bucs In 2020

Tom Brady revealed Sunday that after he left the New England Patriots he nearly signed with the Chicago Bears instead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This is one of those what-might-have-been stories that amaze because it might have changed NFL history. 

So Brady to the Bears was in play.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the sideline during the first quarter in the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Bears Chased Brady Under The Radar

"I know," Brady said during Sunday's broadcast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. ["The Bears] were really under the radar and nobody would have realized that. And free agency is a tricky thing. Once you make your decision, there was no looking back so there was no reason to ever tell anybody that."

Ultimately, Brady decided to go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for that 2020 season. And it worked out because the Bucs won the Super Bowl his first of three seasons there.

"I just I felt that ultimately I made a great decision coming to Tampa," Brady said. "And what we accomplished as a team – the relationships with (general manager) Jason Licht and his whole staff, all the players I saw in the pregame (on Sunday) – it meant so much to me. Three years later when I left, I realized how important this place has meant in my football journey."

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 08: Broadcasters Kevin Burkhardt (L) and Tom Brady (R) walk along the field before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Brady Shares Free Agency Notes

Brady shared this information apparently after seeing note cards at his house last week that he kept at the time of his decision.

"I saw these at the house and said, ‘I’m bringing these to show KB," Brady said to his broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt as he flashed the cards on air. "There's a lot of reasons to chose Tampa and I made about 18 criteria and there was things all the way from the salary, obviously, to the weather, the facility, how great the players where."

And among that list, the Bears graded pretty high.

Matt Nagy Almost Landed Brady

"Chicago was a team and, I have never told that story before, they were very stealth in their recruitment," Brady said. "I was seriously considering them. But in the end it came down to Tampa."

So Brady, known throughout his career for good decision-making in the pass pocket, made a wise call in free agency.

But the fact he was so serious about the Bears makes sense in hindsight.

The Bears were not a bad team headed into the 2020 season.

They were 8-8 in 2019. The Bucs, by comparison, were 7-9.

And the team was not without weapons. They signed tight end Jimmy Graham in the offseason almost certainly would have added Rob Gronkowski had Brady come – as happened in Tampa.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 10:  Outside linebacker Khalil Mack #52 of the Chicago Bears walks off the field after a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bears defeated the Raiders 20-9. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

Bears Had Talent In 2020

The Bears also boasted Allen Robinson and Cordarrelle Patterson. On defense, the club included Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith and Khalil Mack.

The Bears were actually pretty good at the start of the season even without Brady. They started 5-1 under coach Matt Nagy before fading in the middle of the season. They eventually made the playoffs as a wild card entrant but lost to the Saints in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

The Bucs, obviously, beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

So, again, a great decision by Brady.

He suffered humid summers with a championship team in exchange for frigid winters with a merely solid team.

But the question is would the Bears have been appreciably better with Brady rather than Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback in 2020?

Of course, they would have.

But we'll never know how good.