The New York Jets, like 29 other teams, passed on Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft, but there was one scout in the war room in Brady’s corner.
Look away New York Jets fans. This one is going to be very, very painful. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, former Jets executive Mike Tannenbaum recently confirmed that a Jets scout—Jesse Kaye—wanted to take Tom Brady in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Recently spoke w/ ex #Jets exec Mike Tannenbaum, who was in war room that day. He confirmed what had been rumored for years: Scout Jesse Kaye lobbied for Brady (probably in 5th round). MT: Kaye "loved" Brady, said he was "treated unfairly" at UM and would be "great player." https://t.co/8mADaJh6Ls
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) April 16, 2020
Say it ain’t so.
It hurts to know that someone in the Jets war room wanted to snag the greatest quarterback of all time, but unfortunately, he was treated “very unfairly.”
Of course, if the Jets had drafted Brady, there is no guarantee that he would have developed into the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. On the other hand, there’s no chance that he would have developed into the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL as a New England Patriot.
Drafting Brady may not have turned around the Jets fortunes completely, but would the Patriots dynasty have existed without the Michigan product? My guess is that Bill Belichick would have found a way to make the Pats successful, but it’s hard to envision the utter dominance in New England without Brady.
But alas, Jesse Kaye’s pleas to draft Brady fell on deaf ears and the rest is history. The Patriots won six Super Bowls while he racked up four Super Bowl MVPs and three league MVPs.
The Jets last AFC East division title came in 2002. The Patriots have won 17 since drafting Brady in 2000.
Mercifully, Brady shockingly signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency and Jets fans won’t have to see him twice a year anymore. Good riddance.
