Tom Brady's Week 1 Bucs debut? Against Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees makes sense
Which team will Tom Brady make his Tampa Bay debut against in Week 1 this season? Two opponents seem to stand out.
Tom Brady was to sign a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday, and that's 100 percent going to have an effect on the NFL schedule. If going by years past, that should be released for 2020 next month right ahead of the draft, although the coronavirus obviously has changed the sports world dramatically.
The big winner of Brady moving to Tampa Bay is FOX because it holds the rights to the NFC; CBS holds the AFC rights, and Brady and the Patriots have been ratings gold largely on CBS. Last season, for example, the most-watched regular-season non-Thanksgiving game in the NFL was Cowboys-Patriots in Week 12 and the second-most non-Thanksgiving game was Chiefs-Patriots in Week 14.
The Bucs generally have played their games at 1 p.m. ET on Sundays because, well, they haven't been very good. With Brady, expect FOX to put the Bucs in the late-afternoon window (4:25 p.m. ET) as much as possible and when the Bucs aren't in prime time, which they also likely will be often.
Because Brady has spent his career in the AFC, he has not faced two fellow contemporary legendary quarterbacks very often in Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans' Drew Brees. In fact, Brady and Rodgers – who have combined for five NFL MVP Awards -- have faced off just twice, last in 2018.
Brees and Brady are Nos. 1-2 in career passing yards and touchdowns in the NFL. Brady has faced the Saints just five times – the first two before Brees got there -- and not since 2017. While it's possible that the NFL schedule-makers put the Bucs in the Sunday night window Week 1, FOX probably would insist on having Brady's NFC debut.
Thus, don't be surprised if it's against Green Bay, which Tampa Bay hosts, or against the Saints, who play the Bucs home and away as NFC South rivals. New Orleans is a short favorite over Tampa Bay on the William Hill NFL futures odds to win the division.
Here are Tampa Bay's 2020 opponents:
Away -- Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.
Home -- Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams.