Tom Brady became the dimple-chinned face of American masculinity by winning a record seven Super Bowls, marrying supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and conquering the business world in his spare time.
But the 45-year-old’s nauseatingly perfect life faced some real setbacks in 2022. His decision to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 40 days of retirement resulted in his first losing season and an early playoff exit. Brady’s comeback also poisoned his marriage and led to his divorce in October, according to various reports. He’s also being sued over his endorsement of FTX, an embattled crypto exchange that recently went bankrupt, rendering Brady’s 1.1 million shares worthless.
It would be easy for Brady to feel sorry for himself – particularly while watching the playoffs from his couch amid a rumored romance between Gisele and her hunky jiu-jitsu instructor. But instead of self-pity and retirement, the soon-to-be free agent should embrace his position as America’s preeminent divorced dad by getting a bachelor pad in Lower Manhattan.
And while he’s there, he might as well win a record eighth Super Bowl as a member of his longtime nemesis, the quarterback-starved New York Jets.
Tom Brady’s nauseatingly perfect life faced some real setbacks in 2022. His decision to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 40 days of retirement resulted in his first losing season and an early playoff exit . Brady’s comeback also poisoned his marriage and led to his divorce in October , according to various reports. He’s also being sued over his endorsement of FTX, an embattled crypto exchange that went bankrupt, rendering his 1.1 million shares worthless
Brady’s picturesque life hit some snags in 2022, as he suffered his first losing season and got divorced from his wife, Gisele Bundchen (back left), who is the mother of his son, Benjamin (left) and Vivian Lake (right). Brady also has a son, Jack (front, center) with actress Bridget Moynahan
Brady would hardly be the first 40-something to reboot his life in Soho or Greenwich Village. The same cliché played out on Mad Men with Jon Hamm’s character, Don Draper, only Brady’s version would benefit from his near-limitless wealth and fame.
Besides, he’s already familiar with the area, having recently owned a five-bedroom Tribeca apartment that he and Bundchen sold in 2021 for a reported $36.8 million.
He’d also be closer to the oldest of his three children, 15-year-old Jack, whom he shares with former flame, New York-based actress Bridget Moynahan. And the timing couldn’t be better, with the high schooler entering his second season of organized football.
‘I love watching him play quarterback, because I think there’s very few things in life that I could probably help him with,’ Brady said in October on his Sirius XM podcast ‘Let’s Go!’
‘I don’t have a lot of specialties in life other than probably throwing the football. He’s way smarter. He’s got a great work ethic. He’s just a great kid. But I can definitely help him at quarterback.’
Was this Tom Brady’s final farewell? The 45-year-old is pictured leaving the field at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium after Monday’s playoff loss to the visiting Dallas Cowboys
Brady and Gisele once tried to make a go of it as a trendy Manhattan couple. Here they are pictured in 2008, when he was still playing with the New England Patriots
During his brief retirement, Tom Brady was spotted walking the Manhattan streets
Tom Brady is already familiar with the area, having recently owned a five-bedroom Tribeca apartment (pictured) that he and Bundchen sold in 2021 for a reported $36.8 million
But as much as his private life would benefit from a move to Manhattan, Brady stands to gain even more professionally.
For starters, the Bucs’ title window appears to be closing. Tampa Bay is a shell of a team that Brady led to a Super Bowl win two years earlier under then-head coach Bruce Arians. Age, injury, and the retirement of Brady’s longtime teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, limited Tampa Bay to an 8-9 season and a woeful Wildcard playoff loss to the visiting Dallas Cowboys.
Now, under Todd Bowles, the Bucs are facing a roster overhaul along their depleted offensive line, and their current salary cap situation won’t permit for any high-priced acquisitions.
For Tampa Bay, a team likely looking to rebuild in the near future, re-signing Brady makes little sense from a football, or a financial standpoint.
By moving to the city, Brady would be closer to the oldest of his three children, 15-year-old Jack (right), whom he shares with former flame, New York-based actress Bridget Moynahan. And the timing couldn’t be better, with the high schooler entering his second season of organized football
Brady appeared in commercials for FTX, which has led to him being named as a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit against celebrities who plugged the bankrupt crypto exchange
But in the Jets, with their fourth-ranked defense, promising wide receivers, and dearth of talent at quarterback, the two sides are an obvious match: New York gets a quick fix under center, while Brady has a shot at a record eighth Super Bowl title.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas retooled the team with last year’s draft, coming away with Rookie of the Year candidates like wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, not to mention talented running back Breece Hall.
What Douglas didn’t address was the quarterback position, where former second-overall draft pick Zach Wilson was benched several times amid his disastrous 2022 performance (six touchdowns, seven interceptions).
As a result, the Jets narrowly missed their first playoff berth since 2010 while the offense ranked just 29th in points and 25th in yards.
The Jets say they’re not writing off the 23-year-old Wilson, who undoubtedly has a stronger arm than Brady, but ranked as the NFL’s least-accurate passer in 2022, according to FTN Data.
‘Zach has got all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him,’ Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters on January 4. ‘We’re going to grind with him… and through hell or high water, we’re going to figure out how to get him to where we know he can be.’
For his part, Wilson says he won’t give up the Jets’ starting job without a fight. When asked about the team potentially signing a veteran quarterback, Wilson told reporters: ‘I’m going to make that dude’s life hell in practice every day.’
Former second-overall draft pick Zach Wilson was benched several times amid his disastrous 2022 performance (six touchdowns, seven interceptions)
The Jets say they’re not writing off the 23-year-old Wilson, who undoubtedly has a stronger arm than Brady, but ranked as the NFL’s least-accurate passer in 2022, according to FTN Data. ‘Zach has got all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him,’ Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters on January 4. ‘We’re going to grind with him… and through hell or high water, we’re going to figure out how to get him to where we know he can be’
Jets general manager Joe Douglas retooled the team with last year’s draft, coming away with Rookie of the Year candidates like wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, not to mention talented running back Breece Hall
New York Jets rookie running back Breece Hall will be returning from knee surgery in 2023
But even if the Jets are committed to Wilson’s development, is his presence enough to thwart Brady’s acquisition?
Obviously there are concerns, and no fit is perfect – especially for a quarterback threatening to replace George Blanda as the oldest player in NFL history.
But unlike Blanda, who looked every bit his 48 years while playing for the Raiders in 1975, Brady is somewhat timeless. His rigorous self-preservation and reliance on resistance training as opposed to weight lifting has allowed him to be remarkably durable over his 23-year career. Outside of a knee injury in 2008 that cost him all but one game, Brady has remained healthy, more or less.
Obviously there are concerns, and no fit is perfect – especially for a quarterback threatening to replace George Blanda (pictured) as the oldest player in NFL history. But unlike Blanda, who looked every bit his 48 years while playing for the Raiders in 1975, Brady is somewhat timeless
Meanwhile, despite the Bucs’ declining results and the team’s turnover at wide receiver, he’s broken his personal record for completions in each of the last two seasons.
Another minor obstacle is the 30-mile commute from lower Manhattan to the Jets’ practice facility in Florham Park, New Jersey. But that can be mitigated by a nearby hotel, which the team bought in 2020 to accommodate players during summer training camp.
A bigger issue is the team’s cap situation: The Jets are projected to be only $15 million under the expected $225 million salary cap.
However, that figure could grow if Douglas decides to cut ties with any number of veterans, such as receiver Corey Davis (owed $10.5 million in 2023) or defensive end Carl Lawson ($15 million). The Jets could also opt to renegotiate deals to backload contracts in order to create more cap space for the upcoming season.
And besides, Brady has earned $330 million in NFL salary, and that doesn’t include endorsements, profits from his brand, TB12, or his looming contract with Fox Sports, which will reportedly pay him $375 million over 10 years whenever he does decide to hang up his cleats.
So it’s unlikely that salary would dictate any of Brady’s decisions going forward, regardless of how much he actually lost with the collapse of FTX. (Roughly $45 million, according to the New York Post and Forbes).
One minor obstacle for Brady is the 30-mile commute from lower Manhattan to the Jets’ practice facility in Florham Park, New Jersey. But that can be mitigated by a nearby hotel, which the team bought in 2020 to accommodate players during summer training camp
Tom Brady went 29-7 against the New York Jets as a member of the rival New England Patriots
As for Brady’s preferred No. 12, the Jets retired the jersey in honor of Joe Namath, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback who epitomized the playboy life of the 1960s. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Hall of Famer to see if he would grant Brady permission to wear the uniform, which would serve as a significant welcoming present from one American icon to another
A #TomShady billboard on Route 78 in Newark, NJ. New York Jets fans have bought 12 billboards in the New York-New Jersey poking fun at the New England Patriots after Brady received a four-game suspension for allegedly tampering with footballs before an AFC Championship game. The Patriots were docked two draft picks, including a first-rounder, and fined $1 million
There are, of course, the emotional scars Brady has inflicted on Jets fans since 2001 – a significant speed bump to this union, but something that could be smoothed over with a Lombardi Trophy.
Besides, Jets fans have had their own fun at Brady’s expense, once paying for a ‘#TomShady’ billboard after he was suspended in 2015 for allegedly deflating footballs in violation of NFL rules.
As for Brady’s preferred No. 12, the Jets retired the jersey in honor of Joe Namath, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback who epitomized the playboy life of the 1960s. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Hall of Famer to see if he would grant Brady permission to wear the uniform, which would serve as a significant welcoming present from one American icon to another.
Ironically, it was the Jets who helped give Brady his first chance as an NFL starter.
The Michigan product was famously a backup to New England’s Drew Bledsoe, but a devastating hit from New York linebacker Mo Lewis on the Patriots quarterback opened the door for Brady in Week 2 of the 2001 season. The Pats would ultimately lose to the Jets, 10-3, but Brady would hold onto the starter’s job through the 2019 season, winning six Super Bowls and going 29-7 against Gang Green.
It would be a fitting end to the most illustrious career in NFL history if Brady returned the favor by helping the Jets win their second Super Bowl title. And the fact that he could get two regular-season games against the Patriots and his former coach, Bill Belichick, only serves to sweeten the deal.
But more than anything, a fresh start in lower Manhattan and northern New Jersey gives Brady a mulligan. He can rewrite his disastrous comeback as a success story, and he can do it on the biggest stage in American sports.
To anyone familiar with Brady, that opportunity may be too good to pass up.
‘I know Tom and he wouldn’t want to go out like that,’ Tampa Bay tight end Cameron Brate told reporters after Monday’s season-ending loss. ‘But we’ll see.’
Unless he decides to return, Tom Brady’s farewell game was a playoff loss to the Cowboys
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