Report: Tom Brady considered the Bears before choosing the Bucs

This bit of news really came out of nowhere today on the Dan Patrick Show when it was slipped in as an afterthought by Patrick during his third hour around the 4:50 mark. While they were discussing unlikely NFL headlines this year, Patrick asked this question, “Did you know that the Bears were in the final, final list of teams for Tom Brady?”

Brady was never seriously linked to the Bears by any insiders, but the Bears were definitely looking into every possible quarterback option this offseason.

“The final list that Brady was looking at, the Chargers, the Bears, and the Buccaneers,” Patrick continued. “I was told this yesterday, and I went, ‘Wait a minute. The Bears?’ [The source] said yes.”

“Brady was considering the Bears, the Chargers... the Chargers were the long shot because it was West Coast, he didn’t want to be on the West Coast unless it was San Francisco.”

If the Chargers were the long shot, and it sounds like the 49ers were never involved in the pursuit, that means the Bears were the runner up in the Tom Brady sweepstakes that ultimately went to Tampa Bay.

Patrick said Chicago was a viable option in part because Brady wanted to be in close proximity to New York where his son lives and it’s less than a two hour flight. There were also rumors during Brady’s free agency that he favored a cold climate like he had in New England.

In the end we may never know if he chose the Bucs because the money was better (he signed a 2 year, $50 million deal), if he liked Tampa’s offensive weapons more, or if the Bears pulled the offer.

What ever the case, this is one NFL headline that I never thought I’d be writing about.