Ranking Brady's Top-Five Options in Free Agency

There are 12 days until the start of one of the most exciting NFL offseasons in recent memory and all eyes are on the biggest free agent, Tom Brady.

For the first time in his Hall of Fame career, Brady will get to be courted and sought after by teams like never before during free agency. Brady is perhaps the biggest piece during this period, as his move could change the landscape for quarterbacks around the league like Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, and Dak Prescott among others. And now with the latest report that Brady’s phone conversation with Bill Belichick “didn’t go well,” free agency rumors are heating up to crazy heights.

But where is the GOAT’s best destination in 2020? He surely has options as teams have been rumored to be after the QB since the end of the season. To look at his best destination you have to understand his needs as a 42-yeard old quarterback, soon to be 43 by the start of the season. Because of his age, he will need a reliable o-line to protect him, good offensive weapons that can create separation, and has to be an attractive enough situation to win now and close out the rest of his career. And of course, getting a big contract to make up for his years of team discounts is surely a factor.

Here are the top five destinations for Brady this 2020 offseason:

5. L.A. Chargers

If you thought that the Chargers would be higher on this list then I’m sorry to disappoint you. Unlike others, I don’t see the perfect fit between Brady and the Chargers as others do. Though this team has practically one of the better rosters in the league, they have some glaring cons that knock them down to the bottom of this list.

For starters, they have a relatively poor o-line that could not protect another aging QB in Philip Rivers. Not to their fault, they had a lot of injuries to the line that they couldn’t make up for. Though the line was never one of their strong suits for the past 10 years. They do have the offensive weapons in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams as well as a now underrated defense that dealt with key injuries for most of the season. That said, this will be Brady’s hardest route back to the playoffs with the Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in that division. And with a team that dealt with so many injuries to a lot of these attractive pieces on the team, the last thing you would want is all of the pressure to be on Brady when you’re up against Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs.

And my final case for this team’s low ranking, having to play for a less popular team. It’s no secret to anyone that Chargers fans are barely coming out to their games. It’s L.A of course, and there are way better things to do then go see a Chargers game. For someone who has been milking his free agency decision and being constantly in the media these past few weeks, I doubt Brady would want that despite the nice weather.

4. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are a trendy destination for Brady that a lot of people see as ideal for him. Like the Chargers they have a pretty good roster on both the offensive and defensive side. T.Y. Hilton is an exceptional receiver and Eric Ebron is the reliable piece you need at tight end. They also have a very good run game led by Marlon Mack who gets better each season. And Brady has seen first hand how great of a play-caller Frank Reich is who was the offensive coordinator for the 2017 Eagles that beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

What also makes this team ideal is there is no real competition in the division to speak of. They have the Houston Texans and Deshaun Watson, but until they get rid of Bill O’Brien I don’t see that team getting any better. The Jaguars who looked like they were ready to win it all a few seasons ago is now going through a soft reboot after letting go of a lot of key pieces and now trying to trade away Nick Foles. And the Titans, though coming off a spectacular postseason run, could be a flash in a pan. Brady on this Colts team would no doubt be the best team in that division.

Lastly, what I also like about this team as I’m sure Brady does is their o-line. Last year, the Colts finished with the third best-ranked line, something Brady desperately needs with his inability to scramble out the pocket. All the Colts are missing is a QB to guide them back to the playoffs and potentially a Super Bowl victory. The reasons they’re not higher on this list though is the factor of playing in a house built by Peyton Manning, one of Brady’s biggest rivals and their talent not being better than other teams.

3. Dallas Cowboys

This is only of course if the Boyz move on from Dak, but Dallas is a preferable destination for Brady. They have finally gotten rid of former head coach Jason Garett and brought in an improvement in Mike McCarthy, a Super Bowl-winning coach. Their roster is arguably the best in the league with talent in practically every skill position. And with Dak's situation unclear, this is a sneaky spot for Brady to slide into and bring back the glory that is the Dallas Cowboys in his final years.

Namesake and history aside the Cowboys as mentioned have one of the better rosters in the league. You have a top two running back in Ezekiel Elliot and an elite receiver in Amari Cooper, a quarterback’s dream. Their o-line is still an elite group of guys when healthy so Brady will be protected. And like the AFC South, the NFC East winner is different about every year and the Redskins and Giants are years away from competing so that leaves Dallas by default.

With all the essential requirements checked off, this would seem like the perfect fit for Tom. That is if Jerry Jones wasn’t the owner, president, general manager, and coach. It is hard to imagine Brady and Jerry co-existing well together. Jerry loves the headlines while Brady just wants to focus on winning. And we have all seen that it is hard to focus down there in Dallas. This big reason ix why this team dropped to three on this list and because of my skepticism that this will actually happen.

2. New England Patriots

It is hard to imagine Brady without the Pats, so hard that I had to reevaluate this team and put them at second for his best destination. With the recent reports out, it looked more and more like the end of the Brady/Belichick combo. Egos seem like they got in the way from what was thought as forever, but when you actually pick apart these teams that may not be the smartest thing for Brady.

Belichick is still the greatest football coach of all time and he has proven he can win with just about anything. Look at the Pats offense last year and what they had to work with. If not for a bad loss during the final week of the season, the Patriots would’ve had a bye in the playoffs and been the No. 2 seed. Now it is only a matter of can Belichick get Brady some help on the offensive side. He gave him a great defense, the best in the league actually and I don’t see that changing. He even gave him an all-time great in Antonio Brown for a game so best believe Belichick will conjure up something.

What really made me decide on the Pats at two is instead of going to a whole new division to try and win why not just continuing dominating the one you’re already in. The Pats have had a stranglehold on the division for over a decade and are by far have the easiest path to the playoffs. Now in the playoffs is a different story because then you’ll have to see Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, two elite QBs with great teams around them. For this reason, they could not be at the top of this list though they should.

1. L.A. Rams

This final team might come as a shock to you all but I believe this is the best destination for Brady to go to. With all the talk about Brady possibly joining the Niners, it had me wonder why this other California team wasn’t in the conversations for a team Brady can join. The Rams have a win-now team and they can’t waste another year of it on hoping Jared Goff takes another leap. If people can see the Niners trading Jimmy G for Brady then I can definitely see the same scenario playing out with the Rams trading Goff away.

The Rams check just about every box that Brady would be looking for too. The offensive weapons and the coach are an easy combo to sell to Brady. The o-line can be addressed by a potential trade with Todd Gurley or they can go after Trent Williams who is trying to get away from the Redskins. Their defense still has Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey on it so you can expect them to be great with just a few more pieces. And unlike the Chargers, the fans in L.A. have an actual interest in the team so Brady won’t be playing in front of empty seats.

The division is tough but the only thing stopping the Rams from being the best in the division is arguably their QB situation. They were just in the Super Bowl two seasons ago against Brady and the main thing that has hampered them this past season is Goff’s play. If you put an elite QB like Brady on that team, they can have a dominance like the Niners did and make it to the Super Bowl again with the excellent Sean McVay drawing up plays.

These are the best spots for Brady to seriously consider if he wants to win now. Comment your thoughts below if you think there is a better one.