NFL Free Agency: Latest Rumors on Tom Brady, Melvin Gordon, More

One potential suitor for Tom Brady can be crossed off the list. 

The Tennessee Titans, who are coached by Brady's former teammate Mike Vrabel, will not be involved in the sweepstakes for the 42-year-old quarterback.

Instead, the Titans completed a deal with Ryan Tannehill, which was announced Sunday afternoon.

With Tennessee taking Tannehill off the market, it sets in place one domino in the quarterback market, which is expected to be busy this offseason. 

The Miami Dolphins could be looking for a new signal-caller, but that is not the only offensive position they are looking to upgrade at. 

The AFC East squad could be after Melvin Gordon, as it looks to bolster the depth of every offensive skill position for the 2020 campaign. 

Latest Rumors

Tom Brady

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Tannehill was locked into a multi-year contract by the Titans after he impressed in the second half of the 2019 regular season in place of Marcus Mariota. 

Another potential landing spot for Brady has been reportedly taken out of the equation as well. 

NBC Sports' Chris Simms reported that the San Francisco 49ers are out of the Brady sweepstakes and the decision is down to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots. 

"The 49ers are out on Tom Brady," Simms said. "That is not going to happen. From my understanding, it was Tom Brady's No. 1 choice to go to San Francisco and be the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. They will be standing pat with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback."

"From everything I've heard, it's down to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots. I don't think the New England Patriots would be willing to give Tom Brady $30 million a year type of money," Simms continued. 

Tampa Bay's situation also comes down to how much it wants to keep Jameis Winston on the roster. 

Winston is an unrestricted free agent, and he is coming off a campaign in which he made over $20 million, per Spotrac.

Brady carried a $21.5 million salary cap hit in 2019, with the majority of his pay coming from a $13.75 million signing bonus, per Spotrac.

Unless Brady is willing to take a significant pay cut, the Buccaneers would likely be paying around the same amount, if not more, depending on which player is under center for the 2020 season. 

Brady is more experienced than Winston, but he would not be a long-term solution at 42 years old. 

If Tampa Bay signs Brady and lets Winston go, it could be in a precarious situation a few seasons from now. 

No matter which way Brady opts to go, the Patriots could select a quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft in order to either replace him immediately, or serve as an understudy. 

But which role a potential incoming quarterback could play comes down to where Brady wants to spend the 2020 season and beyond.

Melvin Gordon

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According to ESPN.com's Cameron Wolfe, the Dolphins "are expected to check in on Melvin Gordon's price." 

Wolfe continued his reporting by stating Gordon "would have some interest in the Dolphins at the right price." 

Gordon is two seasons removed from a 1,000-yard season with the Chargers, and his rushing totals decreased in 2018 and 2019. 

However, he did play in four fewer games in the last two seasons than he did in 2017, and the Chargers relied more on Austin Ekeler to carry the ball.

At 27, Gordon could still be a reliable asset in the Miami offense, or elsewhere, but the price tag could be a concern for some. 

Gordon is coming off a season in which he made $4,615,882, per Spotrac, and he could be looking for more value based off his career production.

Gordon owns 4,240 career rushing yards and he has found the end zone on 36 occasions on the ground. 

He could also be vital to a team's passing attack, as he has had at least 40 receptions in each of his last four seasons. 

Regardless of if Gordon is the answer or not, the Dolphins need to upgrade their running back situation. 

In 2019, their leading rusher was quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with 243 yards, and only one running back had more than 200 rushing yards. 

If the Dolphins can't improve at the position, it may be hard for their next quarterback to achieve success in the pocket. 

But if they find more balance in Brian Flores' second year in charge, they could be more competitive in the AFC East. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.