Tom Brady didn’t push for the Buccaneers to sign Antonio Brown. Unless he did.
Coach Bruce Arians told reporters after Sunday’s game that his quarterback “had nothing to do” with the Buccaneers going after Brown.
Brady wasn’t saying one way or the other, avoiding the question. In fact, Brady said little about Brown.
“Well, he’s a tremendous football player,” Brady said, via pewterreport.com. “I played with him for a brief period of time, and I’m looking forward to working with him again and seeing what kind of role he can come in and [play]. He’s a very hard-working guy. Again, we’re all going to go out there on the practice field and do the best we can do, and we’re going to see how it all fits together. There is a lot of hard work ahead. None of it magically happens. We realize that early in the season when we put a lot of new people together.
“We’ve got to figure a lot of things out in a short period of time. We’re fighting against a lot of continuity from a lot of other teams and a lot of other coaches. Bruce has had tremendous patience with me, watching me grow in the offense. I totally appreciate that and respect that and I feel like I am getting to a more comfortable place. He’s been a great mentor to me in the short period of time. [Offensive coordinator] Byron [Leftwich] and I are growing in our communication, and that’s what it takes for a good football team to work it every day and try to be better every week. And that’s what we’re going to try to be.”
Brown, who agreed to terms with the Bucs on Friday night, caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in his only game with the Patriots in 2019. That Week 2 game against the Dolphins was the last game Brown has played.
Brady completed passes to nine different receivers Sunday, including Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Scotty Miller led the team with six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
So how will Brown fit with the Bucs?
Brady dodged that question, too, before being asked about Brown’s mental state.
“I’m not getting into personal conversations that we’ve had together,” Brady said. So the guys we have are amazing players and teammates – Mike, Chris, Scotty, Tyler (Johnson), who caught a touchdown today, JWatt (Justin Watson), Cyril (Grayson), Mick (Jaydon Mickens), and the tight ends, Huddy (Tanner Hudson), Gronk (Rob Gronkowski), and Cam (Brate), obviously. They’re all doing a great job. We miss O.J. (Howard) out there. We have a great group, and we’re all expected to go out there every day and help the team win, and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win football games. We’re trying to do a job.”
One thing is certain: Brady didn’t have all these riches in New England, even while winning all his Super Bowl rings. Evans, Godwin, Gronkowski and Brown all are Pro Bowlers.