How Dolphins Could Finally Land Tom Brady Amid ‘Not Opposed’ Comments

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Tom Brady could land with the Miami Dolphins if Tua Tagovailoa sustains an injury this year.

After years of speculation and an illegal tampering incident, Tom Brady could finally join the Miami Dolphins.

Brady stirred the pot on social media with his “I’m not opposed to it” comments regarding a midseason comeback on Thursday’s “Deep Cut Podcast”, and host Vic Blends says Brady “is real serious” about it. Now a Miami resident, Brady has been retired from the NFL for a year with his FOX Sports broadcasting gig around the corner, but he acknowledged that he could consider a team calling him in the event of a quarterback injury.

“I’m going to be honest; I think Tom is real serious when he says something like that,” Blends told Sports Illustrated’s “All Steelers” after the podcast. “I don’t think this guy lies one bit. If he says something then he means. I can’t say it’s 100%, but I can say that guy does not [expletive] around.”

Miami of course has Tua Tagovailoa solidified as the starter amid his four-year, $30.27 million deal with the team. However, durability has been a concern for Tagovailoa amid injuries in his first three seasons.

If Tagovailoa goes down, the Dolphins have backups in Mike White and Skylar Thompson — neither of whom have playoff experience.

Tom Brady Could Draw a Playoff-Bound Team

Blends didn’t mention the Dolphins, but he highlighted another playoff team as an example for his conversation with Brady.

“Let’s say there’s a situation, right? Maybe the [San Francisco] 49ers, maybe, you know, headed to the playoffs,” Blends said. “Offense is great … somebody goes down. Would you pick up that phone?”

“I’m not opposed to it,” Brady responded. “I don’t know if they’re going to let me by becoming an owner in an NFL team.”

“I’m always in good shape. Always able to throw the ball. So to come in for a little bit like M.J. [Michael Jordan] coming back, I don’t know if they’d let me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” Brady added.

Ownership Status, Competition Are Obstacles for Dolphins to Land Tom Brady

Brady notably had interest in part ownership with the Dolphins in 2021, but that fell through due to the illegal tampering scandal from 2019. News of the scandal surfaced after the Dolphins parted ways with former head coach Brian Flores, who filed a lawsuit against the league over discrimination in hiring.

Instead of the Dolphins, Brady sought part ownership in the Las Vegas Raiders, and it’s “on track” to go through. If it does, the NFL owners would need a majority vote to allow Brady to play and be a part owner.

In addition, the Dolphins could have stiff competition for Brady’s services in the event of a Tagovailoa injury. Seven starters went down with season-ending injuries last year, and only one of those teams made the playoffs.

Neither White nor Thompson have a track record of winning regular season football. White has a 2-5 mark from his time with the New York Jets, and Thompson has a 1-1 record but one touchdown versus three interceptions in his career.

Matthew Davis covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis