Tom Brady Won't Play in Buccaneers' Preseason Opener vs. Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will not play in the team's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, head coach Todd Bowles announced Wednesday.

Brady, who turned 45 on Wednesday, has been given extremely limited action during recent preseasons. He attempted just 16 passes in two preseason games a year ago and will likely be on a similarly short schedule this year.

Blaine Gabbert will likely open the Bucs' preseason opener under center, with second-year quarterback Kyle Trask getting a significant amount of work as well. Trask was a 2021 second-round pick and has already gotten more extensive looks in camp than a year ago.

There is a certain level of irony in Brady sitting out against the Dolphins, given the franchise clearly wishes he was their starting quarterback. The NFL stripped Miami of its 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick for tampering violations related to impermissible contact with Brady and former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.

A league investigation found the Dolphins contacted Brady twice while he was under contract with other teams, in 2019 with the New England Patriots and last year while he was with the Bucs. The Dolphins also attempted to bring in Payton despite the Super Bowl-winning coach not yet announcing his retirement.

In other words: Dolphins fans will not even get to watch the man who cost them their 2023 first-round pick in action in the preseason.