Leonard Fournette took a free agent go to to New England earlier this offseason, but it surely appears Tom Brady was ready to scare him away from the Patriots.
One of the extra shocking moments of the offseason got here when it was introduced that Tampa Bay Buccaneers operating again Leonard Fournette was heading north for a free agent go to with the New England Patriots. The Pats had been stacked at operating again, and it didn’t make a ton of sense for Fournette to defect away from Tom Brady and the Bucs.
Fournette ended up re-signing with the Buccaneers on a three-year, $21 million deal that Bill Belichick and New England had been virtually actually not keen to supply. While cash was most likely a deciding issue, it seems that Brady might have performed a task in Fournette opting to return to Tampa.
Tom Brady might have scared Leonard Fournette into re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As everyone knows, Brady was New England’s longtime quarterback for 20 years, and there have been some inklings that he and the Patriots aren’t on one of the best of phrases these days. When he discovered Fournette was visiting New England, Brady rapidly reached out Fournette and requested what he was doing there:
Brady might have been extra involved with one in all his prime playmakers probably leaving, however this may be seen as a diss on New England. The Brady/Belichick rivalry has been the topic of a lot debate since Brady left the Pats, so perhaps he didn’t need Belichick to get one other good participant on his roster for the upcoming season.
It’s extra possible that the latter isn’t true, and Brady simply wished his prime operating again on board since he ultimately determined to return for yet one more season. Fournette, after all, has revived his profession in Tampa after getting launched by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he was one of many prime choices within the passing sport for Brady and a decimated Bucs offense.
While it didn’t actually appear to be New England wanted a operating again, which made Fournette’s go to so complicated, they ultimately addressed the place within the draft with third-day picks Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. But it’s clear that Fournette would have been a direct improve over both of those two guys.
Tampa Bay has actually loaded up as they appear to make one other Super Bowl run with Brady again on board. But with his historical past in New England, Fournette’s remark as we speak is actually going to catch some consideration, and for good motive. It appeared just like the Brady/Belichick rivalry was over earlier this offseason, but it surely seems to be again in full pressure but once more for the 2022 NFL season.
