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Bruce Arians is playing hardball on the idea of trading Tom Brady.
Brady nominally retired from the Buccaneers last month, but has remained cryptic on the idea of whether he would eventually return to the NFL, sparking much speculation that he would entertain the idea of playing again — but perhaps for another organization.
Arians spoke to reporters at the NFL combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, and the topic of a potential Brady un-retirement came up. Would the Buccaneers consider trading Brady to another team if that’s what he wanted?
“Nope. Bad business,” Arians said, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
What would it take to land him?
“Five no. 1’s, maybe, ” Arians said, per Greg Auman of The Athletic, citing a price so absurd for a 44-year-old — even one of Brady’s legendary stature — that it would clearly never be met.
If Brady does ultimately wish to return for a different organization, like hypothetically the 49ers (who are Super Bowl contenders and his hometown team) or Raiders (for a reunion with Josh McDaniels), this will be a high-stakes game of chess.
Brady could potentially wait and see if the Bucs get near the salary cap limit, and then announce intentions to un-retire, which would force the franchise into some austere cap-cutting moves.
“That door is never closed,” Arians said. “Whenever Tom wants to come back, he’s back. … If Tom wants to come back, we’ll have plenty of money for him.”
However, this would be a dangerous game because if the Bucs did call his bluff and found a way to make it work he’d be left with a tricky decision.
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