Bruce Arians credits Tom Brady with recruiting veterans to Buccaneers
Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is getting praised for another skill too.
Brady has solidified himself as one of the top recruiters when it comes to adding veteran free-agent talent to the Buccaneers’ roster and head coach Bruce Arians loves it.
“I think when you talk about veteran players who want to win a championship, when Tom calls you, you’re going to listen … especially with the roster he has,” Arians said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Last season, Brady was able to sway his longtime friend and teammate Rob Gronkowski out of retirement. Later in the season, Antonio Brown came on board and was actually living with the Bucs’ star signal caller while getting settled.
Leonard Fournette was suddenly added to the Bucs’ roster as the 2020 regular season began, and if social media carries any weight, it sure looks like Brady was part of that recruitment too.
Brady has proven to put winning over everything else, and the trio of Gronk, Brown and Fournette played pivotal roles to get Tampa Bay its first ever Lombardi trophy.
Coming off a loss to the Rams where Matthew Stafford torched the Buccaneers secondary throwing for 343 yards and four touchdowns, it was clear Arians and the Bucs’ brass needed help on the defensive back end.
Tom Brady didn’t waste any time calling one of the top-free agent cornerbacks on the market.
Bruce Arians says Tom Brady helped recruit Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman is now a Buccaneer. The 5-time Pro Bowler signed a one year deal with the Buccaneers on Wednesday.
As Pro Football Talk stated, Arians added that Brady is a big part of what makes Tampa an attractive destination. Despite their long-standing rivalry over the years, Brady personally contacted Sherman, which set the deal in motion.
“I went with the best offer I had, the best opportunity to go out there and put some great tape on, to lead another group,” Sherman said. “I feel comfortable and confident in my abilities to go out there and execute and help that team win.”
Joining Brady and a team that didn’t lose a single starter from last year’s championship group would be appealing to most free agents.
Tom Brady doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, but he’s proven to be a great future general manager. The Buccaneers have holes, but the season is early and who knows if Brady will convince any other players to join the party for 2021.