Tom Brady Rumors: Latest on Raiders, Bucs and Patriots Entering 2020 Free Agency

While some opposing fans may be ready to dance on the grave of the Tom Brady era in New England, a departure may not be as guaranteed as some hope.

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston reported the latest on the Brady situation, which paints a more optimistic picture than a seemingly inevitable divorce this month. Curran reported the Patriots want Brady to return, and Bill Belichick has reached out via text message.

"Bill Belichick is not freezing Brady out," Curran wrote. 

Brady also reportedly plans to "listen closely" to the Patriots' pitch for a return. 

"Of course not," a source close to Brady told Curran of whether he already decided to leave New England. "There's an attachment there. You can't be someplace for 20 years and not have an attachment. That's just not who he is." 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders, thought to be among the biggest Brady suitors, also have issues in their own right. Curran pointed to Bucs coach Bruce Arians' laid-back approach being a polar opposite from Belichick as a potential roadblock. The Raiders are also not "planning to give great chase" despite coach Jon Gruden's affinity for Brady.

Brady's free agency has become the biggest story of the NFL offseason, in part because of its unprecedented nature. A renegotiated contract last offseason will allow Brady to become a free agent at a time when the Patriots are coming off a disappointing playoff run, Brady's offensive supporting cast is the weakest it's been in years, and his relationship with Belichick has been the subject of several fraught reports from New England. 

The three-time NFL MVP also turns 43 in August, making him a stopgap solution for any team in need of a quarterback. Brady looked like a shadow of himself for most of the second half of the 2019 season, failing to complete 60 percent of his passes in seven of the Patriots' last eight games (including playoffs). His completion percentage dropped five full points from 65.8 in 2018 to 60.8 in 2019. No advanced metric labeled him more than a league-average starting quarterback.

The Raiders and Buccaneers have their own concerns at quarterback, albeit ones for guys more than a decade Brady's junior.

Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston is also a free agent and coming off a year where he led the NFL in passing but also became the first player in league history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. Gruden has never appeared completely sold on Derek Carr, who completed 70.4 percent of his passes in 2019 but is a dreaded 20-20 quarterback. The Raiders offense ranks among the worst in the NFL in big plays and red-zone production.