The Miami Dolphins made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 with Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback, but despite Tua’s solid performance, he was often hurt, suffering three concussions in the 2022 season. The Dolphins lost two of those games where Tua was concussed aside from two other games he missed where backups Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson started in his place. Because of this, I believe that the Dolphins should consider pursuing 45-year-old Tom Brady this off-season.
Brady is a proven winner and a future Hall of Famer. He is a seven-time Super Bowl champion and a three-time NFL MVP, and his leadership and ability to win would be invaluable to the Dolphins. He can take the team to the next level and gives them a chance to compete for a Super Bowl. Despite Tua’s success, he missed close to a quarter of the season due to injury. While Tua is a talented quarterback, his durability is a concern. Tua has had a history since his college days of getting injured and missing games. Bringing in a quarterback like Brady, who has a long history of staying healthy and playing at a high level, would provide the team with a group of stability and consistency at the quarterback position.
Tom Brady would also bring a level of excitement and energy to the Dolphins organization and fan base. Having a quarterback of his caliber on the team would increase game attendance and boost merchandise sales by billions of dollars. Tampa Bay for example saw their attendance jump from 52,000 people to over 65,000 when Brady joined their franchise. Furthermore, he would attract other talented players to the team. With a quarterback of his caliber, other players would want to join the team and compete for a Super Bowl. We saw this during the 2007 season when Randy Moss joined the New England Patriots organization because the team needed a deep-threat wide receiver and Moss was available on the free agent market. The reason Moss came was because of Brady and in that season he set the NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a single season, with 23 touchdowns. When Brady signed with the Buccaneers in 2020, he had a big impact on the team’s free agency, many veterans like Leonard Fournette and Antonio Brown joined the team as they saw a better chance to win a Super Bowl with Tom Brady as a quarterback. Not to mention his longtime friend Rob Gronkowski unretired to play with him.
The Dolphins are in a unique position as they have a solid team that is capable of contending. They have an opportunity through free agency and the draft to plug some holes at running back, left guard, and linebacker. With the right quarterback, they could make a deep run in the playoffs, and Tom Brady as one of the best quarterbacks of all time, he could be the missing piece to take them to the next level. I can see premier free agents wanting to join the Dolphins with Brady at the helm rather than Tua.
Lastly, there is the Mike McDaniel factor. The rookie head coach was instrumental in scheming opportunities for Tua and the Dolphins’ offense to succeed just enough to squeak into the playoffs despite an injury-riddled season from their starting QB. I can see a refreshed and rejuvenated Tom Brady working with an innovative coach putting up more efficient numbers in the Dolphins’ offense, and Miami making a deep playoff run for the first time since the Dan Marino era. If I am the Dolphins brass, this move is a no-brainer because for Brady age is truly just a number, and in a close back-and-forth playoff game, having the greatest football player of all time on your side, is the ultimate trump card.
