The GOAT Is Not the Future Vikings QB after All
The future of quarterback Tom Brady was a big subject in the last few weeks after the Dallas Cowboys eliminated his Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the 2022 playoffs. Brady didn’t look as sharp as his past self, something totally logical for a 45-year-old.
After his contract expired, potential options for his future included, among many more, the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Jets, and the San Francisco 49ers. Even the Vikings were mentioned.
The GOAT Is Not the Future Vikings QB after All
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Amid those speculations, the undisputed greatest player in NFL history retired with a video he posted on social media.
Famously, Brady retired from the league a year ago but returned just a few weeks later. The star quarterback won seven Super Bowls, an astronomical number, not only for fans of the purple team. He won more Super Bowls than all 32 franchises.
Brady is a five-time Super Bowl MVP, a three-time regular season MVP, was the 2009 Comeback Player of the Year, and led the league five times in passing touchdowns and four times in yards. The last time was in 2021, when he led the league in both categories at age 44. In his final season in 2022, Brady set the NFL record for most passing attempts in a season, an outlandish feat for a 45-year-old.
He’s also the record-holder of all major passing statistics, leading the league’s history in passing touchdowns and yards in the regular season and postseason.
Brady finished his career with 89,214 passing yards and 649 passing touchdowns, and only 212 interceptions. The numbers in the playoffs are equally impressive. He passed for 13,400 yards and 88 touchdowns in his playoff career. For comparison, the Vikings organization passed for 11,479 yards in the postseason, the seventh-most among NFL franchises. He will enter the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2028.
Brady’s retirement rules out a future as the Vikings’ quarterback. While the Brady-to-Vikings theories have always been a longshot, Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his contract, and the Vikings could look for someone else under center. Cousins does have a no-trade clause in his contract. The Vikings must get his approval if they want to get him off the team in 2023. Another extension is always possible and could extend his tenure as the Vikings’ signal caller.
A former NFL executive talked about Brady to the Vikings as a possibility.
I know the Raiders and Dolphins are the two most talked about. The 49ers are another possible destination, but they have Brock Purdy now. Watch out for the Vikings. Replacing Kirk Cousins with Brady would make them an actual legitimate threat to win the Super Bowl.
Anonymous former NFL executive
In that scenario, the Vikings would hope that Brady can bring his postseason magic to Minnesota, a franchise historically snakebitten and unable to win a Super Bowl or even come close to winning one. Winning a Super Bowl with the Vikings would be the greatest achievement in the bio of any QB.
But after Brady’s retirement, those thoughts disappeared as fast as they appeared. If the Vikings’ regime wants to get “their guy,” the draft is the way to go. Another option to find the QB of the future could be the trade market, especially if the 49ers want to part ways with a former top-three pick.
Brady played in six games against the Vikings, winning all of them. He passed for 1,507 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. His legacy will be his outstanding will to win and his superhuman level of play in clutch moments of the games, especially in the playoffs when the stakes are highest.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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