First-year New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has stipulations for a Tom Brady comeback for the upcoming season. The Patriots’ legendary quarterback hinted in a podcast this spring that he’d be open to returning to the NFL this fall. He named the Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders as potential destinations.
Speculation of a Brady return was amplified when a video surfaced days before the draft of Brady training without a shirt on. At 46, Brady appears to be in good shape. He seemed to be flagging teams about his availability this fall.
Mayo was asked about a potential reunion with Brady during the head coach’s appearance Monday on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI. Mayo thought Brady might be more helpful as a coach and said the future Hall of Fame signal-caller would have to compete for the starting job this fall.
“I love Tom, and the door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach, but as far as going on the field, I don’t know,” Mayo said. “But if he comes in here, once again, going back to the ‘hey, the best player will play,’ you’ve gotta come in here in compete, and he loves competition. I doubt he’s gonna be walking through these doors any time soon.”
Brady expressed interest in returning later in the regular season for a team that needed a boost at quarterback because of injury. Mayo said he wasn’t interested in having Brady as a quarterback for part of the season.
“He’ll be one of those guys, like if something happens in November and we’re in a good position, ‘hey I’ll come in.’ Nah, I’m good on that,” Mayo said.
Patriots Head Coach Jerod Mayo joins the show for "Mayo Mondays"! Could Tom Brady make a potential return this year? @WEEI pic.twitter.com/q5p1xNBUrY
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) April 29, 2024
The Patriots added two rookie quarterbacks to their roster during the draft. They selected Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick and Joe Milton III in the sixth round. Both players are expected to be projects for the upcoming season.
During and following Drake Maye’s pro day, numerous scouts and analysts said Maye might do better to sit behind a veteran early in his career. For the veteran to be Brady, he’d have to sign up for training camp before August.
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