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AFC Wild Card Games - Dallas Cowboys v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Tom Brady is gone from Tampa Bay. He leaves behind a championship legacy — along with a $35.1 million cap hit for 2023.

That’s not money the Bucs owe Brady. It’s money the Buccaneers have already paid for by using the tools available to kick the can for years to come.

As for the Brady deal, the chickens are now coming home to roost. And the books are broken.

Yes, you get what you want and need from Brady. Super Bowl Championship. Two years of high asses in the seats (the first season does not include any fans, due to the epidemic). Jerseys and other merchandise sales.

But now that they’re sitting at a projected $55 million cap space, the Bucks need one last favor from Brady. They want him to sign a contract for 2023, for a minimum salary of 1.1165 million dollars. And then they need to process the pension after June 1st.

Such a deal would reduce Brady’s cap hit for 2023 to $11.941 million. Retiring after June 1 would result in $10.776 million in dead money for 2023 and push $24.328 million in dead money to 2024.

For Brady, this prevents him from joining another team, if he changes his mind about playing. Although he now believes he won’t play again, he may change his mind.

It makes signing a new contract even more difficult. For starters, he’s under contract with the Bucs until they put him on the retirement waiting list in June. He will then remain on the reserve retired list until the Buccaneers release him or trade his rights.

After the trade deadline, Brady had to wade through waivers after being released from the pending retirement list.

So being a free agent is good for Brady. That helps him to do whatever he wants without any complications or restrictions. But on paper, Brady being dealt to the Bucs is to the team’s advantage.

If the Brady Bucs are going to do a contract favor, it should happen before his current contract expires in mid-March. If he gets into this situation, it will be a very clear indication that he is not interested in joining another team.

That said, if he decides to play again, he can re-sign in Tampa with the clear understanding that the Bucks will immediately relinquish his rights. But, again, it has to happen before the trade deadline, to avoid being passed over by wackos.

Yes, Brady said it worked for good. But man changes his mind. Who knows what it will feel like in July or August or September? Maybe he doesn’t even know.

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