Bucs' Tom Brady Not a 'Top-Half' Starting QB in NFL Anymore, NFL GM Says

Tom Brady may have reached the point where his name value outweighs his on-field production.

One NFL general manager said Brady is no longer among the "top half" of starting quarterbacks in the league as the 45-year-old prepares to hit free agency in March.

"He's still a starter in the league but maybe not the top half anymore," the general manager told Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post.

Brady threw for 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions this season, solid numbers that pale in comparison to his first two years in Tampa. The seven-time Super Bowl winner threw 83 touchdowns in 2020 and 2021, putting together the greatest post-40-year-old stretch in NFL history.

While Brady set an NFL record for pass attempts in a season (733) this year, the results did not follow. His yards per attempt (6.4) were the second-lowest of his career and a full yard down from his pace a year ago.

Tampa's struggles on the offensive line and in the ground game played a factor, but the 2022 version of Brady was clearly diminished. He was 18th in ESPN's QBR metric, spending most of his year as a dink-and-dunk quarterback—and not one that was overly accurate.

NFL's NextGen stats measured Brady as completing 1.3 percent fewer passes than he should have this season. Only two quarterbacks, Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert, had a lower average air yards per completion than Brady.

The Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich on Thursday, a move they hope will potentially rejuvenate the offense. That said, Leftwich was the offensive play caller during Brady's two years of prosperity with the Bucs. This disappointing season may merely be a combination of Brady's advancing age and a mediocre supporting cast.

If Brady wants to write a final chapter in his career that does not involve being blown out at home by the Dallas Cowboys, he may wind up thinking long and hard about a move to a third team.