Was Tom Brady plotting an escape route to Miami?

Remember a few months back when Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady retired from the NFL and then unretired? How it was all just weird and awkward, and felt like there was something else going on behind the scenes? Since then, multiple unconfirmed reports have emerged suggesting that this was indeed the case.

Honestly, not much. On 1 February, Brady made an announcement that made it clear he was moving on from playing football. On 13 March, Brady promptly unretired, leading many to wonder what exactly had changed in such a short span of time.

On 30 March, Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians said he would be stepping down in his role and instead would be working in a consulting position. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles stepped in to replace him.

Almost assuredly, given the power dynamics of the situation. Arians was quite replaceable, as head coaches tend to be the league, while Brady is one of the most important figures in the history of the sport.

Here’s where we get into the tricky realm of speculation, so everything from here on out needs to be framed with the phrase “reportedly”, especially since it seems unlikely we will get any clarification anytime soon. (Additionally, it could trigger an NFL investigation for tampering if any of these rumors have merit.)

Fair enough. On Twitter, Rich Ohrnberger, a former player and current NFL analyst, reported that Brady, along with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, felt undermined by Arians and the two were seeking to go elsewhere.

Apparently, while Arians was rehabbing the achilles in the early mornings, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Brady would work on the week's game plan. Arians would later come in and take the red pen to work they'd done. The QB and