Could Tom Brady unretire to play for the Miami Dolphins?

There’s no time to waste in football, which is why as much as the scenes witnessed in Tua Tagovailoa’s most recent concussion are disturbing to consider, attention has already turned to possible replacements. This is in light of growing pressure on the Miami Dolphins quarterback to call time on his brief but promising career. Yet, surely that can mean the player who is widely considered to be the best ever, right?

Tom Brady to the Dolphins?

Hear us out. Back in 2022, the Miami Dolphins went after Tom Brady in a big way. As we know, what happened is the franchise was then sanctioned by the league after an investigation discovered that it had engaged in tampering with Brady. That’s to say that the Dolphins were so intent on acquiring the legendary signal-caller that rules weren’t going to stop them from doing so. It’s also worth noting, that when he was asked in April 2023 whether he’d consider coming out of retirement to play for the Dolphins, he didn’t say no.

So, with that as the context, we come to former Steelers quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges, who took to social media to make a rather interesting declaration. “Tom Brady to the Miami Dolphins...heard it here first. Watch,” read his post on X. The post from Hodges was also echoed by Brady’s former teammate Darius Butler who posted a photo of Brady in a Dolphins jersey following the team’s 31-10 loss to the Bills on Thursday night, the game in which the Tagovailoa suffered that previously mentioned concussion. With the young QB’s future very uncertain, there is clearly a need in Miami.

Now, it is true that Tom Brady currently has a job and one that he just started no less. This past weekend Brady made his broadcasting debut with FOX Sports, calling the Cowboys’ 33-17 win against the Browns in Week 1. To that end, the idea of him giving up his rather lucrative contract to come out of retirement at 47 years old seems unlikely at best. On the other hand, there are a few things to consider that make this scenario more realistic than you might think. For starters, there’s what Brady said earlier this year during an interview when asked if he’d consider unretiring to replace an injured quarterback.

“I’m not opposed to it,” Brady said at the time. “I don’t know if they’re gonna let me, if I become an owner of an NFL team, but I don’t know if - I don’t know, I’m always gonna be in good shape, (I’ll) always be able to throw the ball. So to come in for a little bit, like M.J. coming back? I don’t know if they’d let me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” A not-so-subtle ‘come get me’ plea we might say, but that’s not where it ends. Indeed, there is also Brady’s relationship with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. Having both attended Michigan, the two are known to be close and it doesn’t hurt that the former quarterback lives in the vicinity. To add a little extra sweetness to the deal, we’ve got wide receiver Tyreek Hill, arguably the Dolphins’ biggest star. Hill has made no secret of his desire to play with the legendary signal caller.

That said, we must confess that these are all theories that come on the back of what appears to be speculation by a few former NFL players. The reality is, that Brady’s age and stage make any such scenario improbable and that’s before we consider the fact that the Dolphins have already stated they have confidence in backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. If the Dolphins do look for a replacement, one has to imagine there will be several names on that list before Brady’s, unless of course he called and said he wanted to play. At that point, who knows? Watch this space.