Of all the storylines to emerge during the first round of the NFL playoffs, one looms large over the league: Is this the end of the Patriots‘ dynasty?
It will certainly be the end of an era if Tom Brady – who’s set to become a free agent for the first time in his career – leaves this summer for greener pastures. The 42-year-old quarterback was mum about his future after Saturday’s loss to Tennessee, which marked just the fifth time in his 18 full seasons that he failed to reach the conference championship.
Is this the end of Brady in New England? And if it is, where might he play next? Here’s a breakdown of the early betting odds for the longtime Patriots pivot’s future.
Will he return to New England?
There are two key questions regarding Brady’s future: Will he play in 2020? And will it be in a Patriots uniform?
He’s 6-1 to call it quits after this season and a whopping 1-10 to play in the 2020 regular season. On Saturday, the three-time MVP seemed to indicate he’ll return, saying that retiring before next season is “pretty unlikely.” Brady has long indicated he intends to play until the age of 45, and he suggested an even loftier goal earlier this year.
It’s also hard to imagine Brady letting the final pass attempt of his career be a pick-6 to Titans defender and ex-Patriot Logan Ryan. Unlike most props with aggressively short odds, there might even be value in laying the massive price here on what seems like a near certainty.
What about returning to New England? That’s far less certain.
Oddsmakers still think the Patriots are in the lead for Brady’s services, pricing New England at 1-2 to employ him in Week 1. He’s 3-2 to not be on the roster in 2020, though oddsmakers are optimistic about the team’s outlook if he stays:
If Brady returns…
YES
NO
Make playoffs
1-7
4-1
Win division
1-2
3-2
Win Super Bowl
12-1
1-25
Win 10 games (O/U)
-130
-110
Giving the Patriots 12-1 Super Bowl odds feels a bit generous after how they looked in the latter half of this season. Still, buying that defense at decent odds – with an assurance of a returning Brady – could be enticing early. The question remains: Will he return to New England?
The future Hall of Famer was cryptic when responding about free agency on Saturday, saying only “Who knows what the future holds?” and waxing nostalgic about his time with the Patriots. That might not raise as many red flags without the reported friction within the organization for years now, including discontent from Brady about his below-market wage.
He won’t be giving New England a hometown discount this summer, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reports, and the Patriots aren’t a team that will overpay for an aging star. His performance this year – Brady finished 17th in ESPN’s QBR – doesn’t suggest shelling out big bucks after losing in the wild-card round is wise. However, he’d certainly be worth the investment for a team looking to sell tickets, or one wanting a steady hand at quarterback to lead a ready-made roster.
Does that perfect fit exist? And would Brady leave the team that drafted him to find it?
Where could Brady sign?
There’s no “perfect” team for Brady to sign with this summer if he decides to leave New England. Ironically, his hometown 49ers would have been an ideal spot if former Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo – who was being groomed as Brady’s potential successor – wasn’t manning the ship there.
So where might he land? Here are the early odds for where Brady could sign (not including New England), with a breakdown of five interesting possibilities:
Team
Odds
Cleveland Browns
11-2
Carolina Panthers
6-1
Los Angeles Chargers
6-1
Las Vegas Raiders
6-1
Dallas Cowboys
7-1
Indianapolis Colts
8-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9-1
Denver Broncos
12-1
Minnesota Vikings
12-1
Miami Dolphins
14-1
Chicago Bears
16-1
New Orleans Saints
16-1
New York Giants
20-1
New York Jets
20-1
Cincinnati Bengals
25-1
Arizona Cardinals
25-1
Philadelphia Eagles
25-1
Jacksonville Jaguars
25-1
Los Angeles Rams
25-1
Pittsburgh Steelers
25-1
Washington Redskins
33-1
Los Angeles Chargers (6-1)
The Browns are inexplicably favored in these opening odds, but the real favorites should be the Chargers, who are picking up steam as the potential go-to spot for Brady in a post-Patriots world. They’re in a major market and enviable spot for an aging superstar, they’re stocked with receiving talent, and they’re less than 400 miles from Brady’s hometown of San Mateo, California.
The move also makes sense for the Bolts, a team in need of a new quarterback if the Philip Rivers era is over. The club is desperate to sell tickets as it moves into a new stadium in Inglewood, too. Who better to put butts in seats than the GOAT? This is a bet worth making.
Indianapolis Colts (8-1)
From a pure football perspective, this makes a ton of sense. The Colts‘ offensive line is more talented than arguably any Brady has played behind in his illustrious career, and Frank Reich’s quick-read offense has maximized the talents of Nick Foles and Jacoby Brissett. Insert Brady, the best quick-read thrower in NFL history, and Indianapolis could emerge as a contender.
Off the field, though, it’s a tougher sell. Indianapolis isn’t, say, New York or Los Angeles, and Brady might prefer a glamorous market after two decades in Foxborough. It’s also a questionable legacy play to spend his final years in Peyton Manning‘s backyard. However, if Brady only cares about rings, the Colts are a legitimate dark-horse candidate.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-1)
Brady has spent years turning people like you and me into 1,000-yard receivers. Can you imagine what he could do with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin? Tampa Bay is the dream location for any free-agent quarterback this offseason if the Bucs move on from Jameis Winston, and a field general of Brady’s ilk could be the perfect palate cleanser after the Winston years.
Any coach is going to be a step down after years with Belichick, but Brady could do worse than spending his career twilight under Bruce Arians, whose previous quality quarterback work could be appealing to the 42-year-old passer. A swan song by the bay also isn’t a bad draw.
Miami Dolphins (14-1)
How awesome would this be? Brady signs with the Dolphins, who foiled the Patriots’ chances of getting a first-round bye this season, and proceeds to snap New England’s epic streak of 11 straight AFC East division titles with a team many called the worst of all time to start 2019.
Brady is familiar with Dolphins head coach and former Patriots assistant Brian Flores, and the club possesses plenty of valuable assets to flip for potential impact players.
Miami is one of the NFL’s best destination cities, and Brady could lead an iconic franchise to its first Super Bowl victory since the legendary teams of the ’70s. It’s not the wildest thing you’ve ever heard.
Chicago Bears (16-1)
If his legacy drives Brady’s next move, it’s hard to do better than reviving the Bears, one of the league’s most storied franchises. They would also be a good football fit, with Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Trey Burton, and Tarik Cohen as viable receiving options in a dynamic offense.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy also did remarkable work with former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith when the two were in Kansas City after many had written off the veteran due to perceived athletic limitations. Nagy has even coaxed a six-touchdown game from Mitchell Trubisky, so picture what he could do with Brady at the helm. The Bears should be higher on the board.
What about Belichick?
Brady isn’t the only Patriots great who might end the dynasty. Oddsmakers say there’s a chance Belichick could retire after 25 seasons as a head coach, including the last 20 in New England. He’s 7-1 to walk away before the 2020 season and 1-15 to return.
We had this same conversation after last season, and Belichick returned with relatively little fanfare. It made sense then following a Super Bowl victory, and now it’d be a stunner for him to leave after a wild-card loss with a possible chance to finally prove himself post-Brady.
These odds would be a lot more interesting if they were about Belichick coaching the Patriots or leaving for another team, which could be a sneaky subplot if he sees cracks in the franchise’s veneer. But retiring? Don’t buy it.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps will begin their post-season campaign with a play-in game against the Timbers in Portland on Wednesday.
The ‘Caps (13-13-8) ended the regular season with a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday and finished eighth in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings.
The eighth and ninth spots from each conference meet in a play-in game this week, with the winner going on to face the No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs.
Each eighth-place team was set to host the play-in game, but Vancouver announced Friday that its home stadium, B.C. Place, is not available, so the club will cede home-field advantage to Portland (12-11-11), the ninth-place team.
The ‘Caps and Timbers split their three-game series during regular-season play, with each side taking a win, a loss and a draw.
The first round of the MLS playoffs is set to begin next weekend.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.
SANDY, Utah (AP) — Diego Luna scored a tying goal in the 73rd minute and Real Salt Lake added another on an own goal for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night to set a single-season club record for points.
Real Salt Lake (16-7-11) secured the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and will face Minnesota in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs. RSL reached 59 points this season, topping the 2012 team with 57.
Vancouver (13-13-8) will play the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in a wild-card game for a chance to play top-seeded LAFC.
Luna settled a long cross from Braian Ojeda before taking four touches to slot home a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season.
RSL went ahead in the 83rd when Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer misplayed a lofted ball that rolled into the back of the net.
Vancouver midfielder Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 58th to become the first player in club history to produce multiple seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Juan Soto’s arrival last winter was supposed to be that move that pushed the New York Yankees back to the top.
They’re one step away.
Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series — and first in 15 years — by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night.
Baseball’s biggest brand is going back to October’s main stage.
Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade from San Diego in December, pushed the Bronx Bombers into position with one big swing.
This was why he came, for this moment and for so many more.
“We’re right where we belong,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who pulled off the deal for Soto.
The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series is on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
In the third consecutive tight game in three nights at Progressive Field, Austin Wells walked with one out in the 10th and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft toss to the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.
Hunter Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto in a 1-2 count before New York’s stylish outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and paused to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.
“I was just saying to myself, `You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” said Soto, who moved alongside his manager, Aaron Boone, as the only New York players to homer in an extra-inning, series-clinching win.
Luke Weaver got the final three outs with Lane Thomas flying out for the last one, which was caught by Soto.
“We get to play for a world championship,” Boone said. “That’s pretty sweet.”
The 25-year-old Soto is eligible for free agency this winter, and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame festivities. He’s expected to get a contract upwards of $600 million, and his heroics in Game 5 may have raised his price.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer and was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees took care of the Guardians in five games. It wasn’t easy.
New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or any major drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland as all three games at Progressive Field were nail-biters.
The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.
“This was a rollercoaster and we were able to just keep punching back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s much more work to do and it’s only uphill from here and we got to get it done.”
Cleveland just didn’t have enough and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise remains without a title since 1948, baseball’s current longest drought.
“There’s only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it’s not going to be us,” Vogt said. “But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We just didn’t get quite as far as we wanted to.”
The Yankees are back in the World Series, back where their fans expect them to be every year.
The club’s 82-80, fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” during the winter, according to Boone, who has been widely criticized but is one of just three managers to take New York to playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.
While the team’s core stayed mostly intact, getting Soto in a blockbuster trade on Dec. 7 — New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star — accelerated the team returning to title contender.
“That was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.
Stanton’s 446-foot rocket into the left-field bleachers tied it at 2 in the sixth and chased Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York’s dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings.
It was Stanton’s fourth homer in this series — his third in three days — and his 16th in the postseason, moving him into fourth place on the club’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).
Before the game, Boone was asked what makes Stanton so good.
“He can hit it harder than anyone, first of all,” Boone said. “So there’s the physical nature of what he does that’s different than just about everyone in the world.”
But Boone went on to compliment Stanton’s discipline at the plate, “his approach, his process, how he studies guys.”
“There’s something that he does when he gets familiarity with people on top of being very physically gifted,” Boone said.
The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth off Carlos Rodón on Steven Kwan’s RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance for more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas grounded out on the first pitch to him from Mark Leiter Jr.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (elbow strain) had another successful live batting practice session. The reliever remains on track to join the Yankees on their World Series roster. Boone said Cortes would throw again early next week. Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts.
