As if Tom Brady’s retirement and return to the league didn’t create enough headlines, this would’ve shocked the world. Reports suggest the GOAT almost headed to Miami during his short-lived retirement.

What would this have entailed? Of course it’s all speculation and reported rumors at the end of the day, but the soon to be 45-year-old would’ve turned the NFL world upside down if this would’ve taken place, so let’s take a look at the shocking details.

When Brady announced his retirement on February 1st, many deemed the move “early” because of the unbelievable season he had just finished. He had seemed to feel content about his career and knew (at the time) his career was over. This honeymoon-like retirement lasted just forty days, when Brady shared an unprecedented Instagram post announcing his return to the Buccaneers on March 13th. He went on to say how his place is “still on the field and not in the stands” (Via @tombrady). Brady will be ready for his 23rd season in the NFL and is preparing for this upcoming season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the story that has been trending suggests that he was almost preparing with the Miami Dolphins in South Beach, instead. The following timeline is reportedly what would’ve taken place if this had bizarrely transpired, according to Pro Football Talk:

• February 1st - Brady announces his retirement from the Buccaneers and the NFL.

• Brady gets introduced as a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins, in an initial move to get him to the team as quarterback.

• Miami brings in newly retired and well acclaimed NFL mind Sean Payton as its next head coach.

• Brady is introduced as the team’s quarterback, and the team makes additions at the wide receiver position, and begins to build around him in hopes to make a Super Bowl run.

One might ask, what went wrong with the deal? Main speculation suggests that the lawsuit filed by ex-Miami head coach Brian Flores halted the deal. Flores filed his lawsuit against the NFL, aimed at the Dolphins franchise among others, on the same day that Brady announced his retirement, February 1st. Flores accused Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of allegedly offering Flores bonuses to throw games, and also included a case of Ross suggesting Flores should illegally tamper with a “notable quarterback” to bring to the team, who was revealed to be Brady. Obviously the instance of tampering didn’t happen because of Flores’ intentions, but even the reports of this were enough bad publicity to blow up the Brady-Payton deal the team was trying to make.

Obviously, Brady would’ve had to come at a price, because he was (and still is) under contract with the Buccaneers through the upcoming season. Reports made by NBC Sports on April 24th suggested that the Dolphins were preparing to send over a second-rounder for the quarterback, and a first rounder to the Saints for Payton. So the question prompts, what would the Dolphins have looked like with Tom Brady as quarterback?

Although the team is already deemed a contender for the AFC East title, their odds would’ve been that much better with the Pro Bowl quarterback at the helm. Brady obviously brings his experience and overall greatness to each franchise he is affiliated with, but also brings some familiarity to the division having spent the first twenty years of his career with the Patriots, playing all teams of the AFC East multiple times a season. Miami has numerous weapons of danger on offense and has a solid, physical defense, and like the Buccaneers before their time with Brady are looking for that one addition to catapult them into contention among the best teams in the NFL. But occurrences seemed to have driven them to a “backup plan” as they prepare for their own 2022-2023 season, and Brady with his.

All in all, it would’ve definitely been interesting to see Tom Brady as a Miami Dolphin, but things seemed to direct him back to the Buccaneers at the end of the day. It’s always fun to speculate the amount of success the Dolphins would’ve had with Brady by their side, but the 2022-2023 season will see Brady in another part of sunny Florida in Tampa Bay, as he looks to round out his career with another Super Bowl run.