There was some disappointment amongst LA Chargers fans who wanted Tom Brady after he picked the Buccaneers on Tuesday, but the idea of signing him was a myopic one.
On Tuesday afternoon, Tom Brady finally made his long-awaited free agency decision. The Patriots were out on Tuesday morning. It came down to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and LA Chargers, and Brady decided to take his talents to Tampa Bay:
Tampa is the expected landing spot for Tom Brady barring anything unforeseen, sources tell me and @JeffDarlington.
There's no signing date or announcement officially set up, but Brady is expected to be a Buccaneer.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020
Brady was a polarizing thought amongst Charger fans for most of the free agent process. Some viewed Brady as an over the hill quarterback at 43, while others viewed him as the best shot for the Chargers to win.
For me, Brady isn’t as polarizing. He’s an OK quarterback that just isn’t worth the hassle he comes with. That hassle includes the salary cap, team control, declining ability, future contract extensions, and play style.
The Salary Cap
Before Tuesday started, the Chargers had $40 million in the salary cap. Had they signed Brady, that would’ve dropped to $10 million. That destroys any chance of signing Bryan Bulaga. There was no way they could get both, considering the money that needed to be saved to sign rookie draft picks, as well as signings during the season.
After the Bulaga signing the team also brought in defensive tackle Linval Joseph and corner Chris Harris. It just makes more sense to put that money into positions of need than throwing it all at Brady. Veteran talents like Michael Pierce, Ndamukong Suh, Bashaud Breeland, and Emmanuel Sanders remain out there. There’s plenty more talent than just those players that would fit with the Chargers.
Stacking a team around someone like Tyrod Taylor simply makes more sense from a financial efficiency perspective. It allows the team to get two or three more high-quality free agents even after the signing of Bulaga. Brady might be a little better than Taylor at his current state, but he isn’t 25 million dollars better.