By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-29 22:44:53 | Updated at 2024-09-30 03:24:19
5 hours ago
Tom Brady made a shocking admission during his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The legendary quarterback continued his Fox broadcasting duties in Tampa Bay - where he won one of his seven Super Bowl rings.
However, during the coverage of his former team's 33-16 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, the 47-year-old dropped a bomb.
Brady revealed that he almost signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency back in 2020 after walking away from the New England Patriots.
Brady said that after deciding to leave New England, where he led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, he created 18 criteria for each of the franchises he was considering.
Tom Brady made a shocking admission during his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday
'Chicago was a team, and I've never told that story before, they were very stealth in their recruitment,' he said.
'I was seriously considering, but in the end, it came down to Tampa. And it was close to my son Jack, I loved Bruce Arians and the role that he played in offense, and ultimately the great players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin that I'm still out there watching today.'
Brady ultimately went on to sign with the Buccaneers, winning the Super Bowl in his first season with the franchise.
He spent two more seasons in Tampa Bay, even performing a retirement U-turn in 2022 before finally walking away from the field for good in 2023.
The former quarterback led the Buccaneers to Super Bowl glory after signing in free agency
🚨BREAKING: It appears the #Bears only offered Tom Brady 10 million dollars to sign with them and free agency of 2020.
😳😳😳
Tampa offered him 27.5m. CHICAGO BEING CHEAP MAY HAVE COST THEM A SUPER BOWL. pic.twitter.com/7y887JbTss
The three-time MVP brought along the notes he hade made while deliberating his decision, holding them up for the camera.
Many eagle-eyed fans on social media zeroed in on one particular criterion that Brady had listed at the top of the two cars belonging to the Bears and the Buccaneers.
They suggested that the Bears' notes listed a figure of 10 million, while Tampa Bay's appeared to have 27.5 million written at the top, leading many to claim that Chicago offered him a drastically lower salary.
Meanwhile, the Bears started 5-1 in the 2020 season, but went on to lose six consecutive games while relying on Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles under center.
