Bears proprietor confirms ‘stealth’ Tom Brady pursuit in 2020: ‘It did not work out for us’

Tom Brady wrote the final chapter of his 23-year NFL profession when he left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. It in the end labored out for Brady, who gained his report seventh Tremendous Bowl in his first season in Tampa Bay.

Brady was not thought to have many free company suitors on the time, however whereas on the printed of the Buccaneers’ Week 4 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the brand new FOX Sports activities lead NFL analyst revealed that the Chicago Bears additionally waged a “very stealth” recruitment of him in the course of the future Corridor of Famer’s free company practically 5 years in the past.

Certain sufficient, Bears chairman George McCaskey not too long ago confirmed that the Bears did have curiosity in Brady in 2020.

“Properly, that looks as if historic historical past at this level. I do keep in mind we had been involved in pursuing him. It did not work out for us,” McCaskey mentioned, in accordance with ESPN. “Labored out nice for him in Tampa. … anytime you are in a scenario like that you simply’re not placing your entire eggs in a single basket. You are options. It is the identical in free company, it is the identical within the draft. If the individual you are concentrating on is not out there, you wish to just remember to’ve achieved your due diligence on all different choices.Â

“In order that was one possibility that we had been .”

[Related:Tom Brady on the Bears?! Would it have resulted in a Super Bowl for Chicago?]

Brady does not remorse his option to check in Tampa Bay as a substitute of Chicago, particularly after the aforementioned Tremendous Bowl win and three consecuitive playoff appearances earlier than he retired for good after the 2022 season.

As for the Bears, they caught with 2017 first-round draft choose Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback in 2020 however added veteran Nick Foles to the quarterback room, with the 2 every making a substantial variety of begins. Following the 2020 season, Chicago signed veteran Andy Dalton and traded as much as choose quarterback Justin Fields within the 2021 NFL Draft. Fields was the Bears’ major starter by 2023 earlier than being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers final offseason to clear the best way for Caleb Williams, the No. 1 total choose within the 2024 NFL Draft.

At current, the Bears are 3-2 with Williams underneath heart, preserving tempo in a aggressive NFC North. The Buccaneers, in the meantime, have remained a playoff-caliber workforce after Brady’s departure, profitable a 3rd consecutive NFC South title final season with Baker Mayfield as their beginning quarterback.

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