LOS ANGELES • Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady will sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday night.
The 42-year-old quarterback, considered by many to be the best American football player in that position, has been the face of the New England Patriots for two decades.
However, Brady revealed on Tuesday he was leaving the National Football league franchise, with the announcement of his departure coming a day before he became a free agent.
NFL Network reported Brady's deal with the Bucs would be worth about US$30 million (S$43 million) a year.
By joining a team with an elite receiving corps and a top defence, he has a chance to join Peyton Manning as the only quarterback to win Super Bowls with two different teams.
His fellow peers and analysts were excited for him, with the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarcus Lawrence tweeting: "We've been expecting you", in reference to the Bucs being in the same National Football Conference.
ESPN personality Skip Bayless also tweeted the "Bucs just became the favourite to win the division and the conference".
Brady's many records while at the Patriots include the most Super Bowl victories (six) and appearances (nine), and most play-off wins (30).
The surefire first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer was a lightly-regarded prospect coming out of college, the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
At the start of the 2001 campaign Brady, at the time an obscure backup, took over the starting role in the second game of the season after starter Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury.
He made the Patriots perennial contenders and in the 2019 season, they extended their NFL record by winning an 11th consecutive division title.
But for all his achievements, Brady's reign ended with a whimper when New England were knocked out of the play-offs in a surprise loss to the Tennessee Titans in January.
It seems he now has a new home and a chance to write a final chapter in a remarkable career, including possibly another Super Bowl appearance.
And the venue for next year's showpiece game? The Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
REUTERS
