Tom Brady Almost Changed Bucs Jersey No. 12 to No. 7 for His 7th Super Bowl

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht revealed Tuesday that quarterback Tom Brady nearly switched from his familiar No. 12 to No. 7 after signing with Tampa during the offseason.

During an appearance on the Peter King Podcast, Licht explained the rationale behind the move Brady almost made:

Licht noted that Brady switching to No. 7 would have represented his pursuit of a seventh Super Bowl ring (h/t TMZ Sports):

"After we had talked and we knew that this was gonna happen, I said, 'Hey, there's one other thing. It's a small thing but maybe a big thing. We have a No. 12 on our team and he's pretty good, [wide receiver] Chris Godwin. What are you thinking about that?'

"[Brady responded,] 'Oh, he's a great player, I'm not going to take his number. Know what number I'm thinking of? I'm thinking of taking maybe No. 7. Is that available?' I said, 'Yeah, I think it is, why No. 7?' He goes, 'Going after that seventh Super Bowl.'"

While Brady was willing to go from being TB12 to TB7, Godwin ultimately switched to No. 14, which opened the door for Brady to continue wearing the number that he wore for 20 years with the New England Patriots.

Switching to No. 7 would have been a big-time statement on Brady's part, but he clearly didn't need the added motivation to chase a seventh ring, as he led the Bucs to a win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game for a Super Bowl berth.

Now, Brady will attempt to lead the Buccaneers past Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV next month.

Not only would Brady capture his seventh ring and give the Bucs their first Super Bowl title since the 2002 season with a win, but he would also become the first quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback for a team in each conference.

Brady is already arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, but he can cement that status by winning yet another Super Bowl away from the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick.