More than three years later, people are still fervently trying to figure out who the “motherf–ker” quarterback is that Tom Brady referenced when revealing a team snubbed him in free agency.
The quest has gained new life since Sunday, when Brady, now an NFL game analyst in Fox’s top booth with Kevin Burkhardt, returned to Tampa for the Buccaneers-Eagles game and said he was “seriously considering” signing with the Bears before choosing the Bucs in 2020.
“They were really under the radar, and nobody would’ve realized that,” Brady said of the Bears during the broadcast. “Free agency’s a tricky thing. Once you make the decision, there’s no looking back, so there’s no reason to ever tell anybody that.”
Brady went on HBO’s “The Shop: Uninterrupted” in 2021 and mentioned that one team was interested in him during free agency as he was prepared to leave the Patriots after 20 seasons, but the team backed out at the end.
“I was sitting there thinking, ‘you’re sticking with that motherf–ker? Are you serious?’” Brady said then.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio hypothesized that Mitch Trubisky may be who Brady was talking about.
The Bears selected Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and after an uninspiring third season, Chicago opted to stick with him in 2020 — the offseason Brady was available — after declining his fifth-year option.
Trubisky left for the Bills in 2021, when the Bears drafted Justin Fields.
Dan Patrick first said in 2020 that Brady’s final list of teams was the Buccaneers, Bears and Chargers.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played for the Dolphins in 2019 and ’20, has previously said he believes he’s the one Brady was talking about.
The more Brady opens up, the greater the likelihood he answers the question many have been asking.
For now, the mystery lingers.
