Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo pulls no punches when it comes to his Tom Brady analysis. And he is not suffering any Jets talk as the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback heads toward free agency and an uncertain future.
“He’s not going to play in the AFC East,” Russo said Wednesday on ESPN First Take. “He’s not going to go against (coach Bill) Belichick two times a year. And he’s not going to do that to (owner Robert) Kraft, who hates the Jets, to go play for the Jets. He’s not doing that. He’s not going to go against the Patriots twice a year.”
Coming to New York would probably be good for his sex life, though.
OK, back to business. No guy talk here. Anyway, Russo is likely onto something.
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If Brady plays in 2023 — he’ll be 46 in Week 1 — he almost assuredly will not stay with the Buccaneers. And the Jets would have a pretty compelling story to tell him if they were granted an audience. But no matter what happened at the end in Foxborough, it is hard to believe Brady would stick it to Belichick and Kraft in such an audacious manner. That, coupled with the Dolphins’ complicated situation — they’ve committed to Tua Tagovailoa and got in scalding hot water for their past Brady pursuit — likely makes the AFC East a no-fly zone.
Russo, like many, predicted Brady will end up with the Raiders if he keeps playing. And Las Vegas does make sense for myriad reasons — Josh McDaniels, Davante Adams, warm weather, a franchise that needs a culture change. Yes, he would have to play Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes twice a year. But do you really think the GOAT cares about that? Of course not.
One last stray thought: We could have been having this chat about the Giants as recently as a few weeks ago. And Brady is a documented Buddy of Brian Daboll, too. But Daniel Jones made sure that did not happen.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
