Jeff Darlington: Yes, Tom Brady And Bruce Arians Butted Heads. No, It’s Not Why Tom Brady Retired
April 22nd, 2022
Clashed but still “solid.”
If Joe believes one person out there regarding every word coming out of his mouth (or off his keyboard) when it comes to Tom Brady, it is Jeff Darlington of ESPN.
The pride of Seminole High School is either tight with Brady and/or someone in Brady’s immediate circle is a source.
Darlington has been dead-on when it comes to reporting about Brady for years. Not only was Darlington the very first national reporter to suggest the Bucs could be a destination for Brady in 2020, but Darlington was also the man who along with Mayhem Adam Schefter broke that Brady was retiring.
So yesterday Darlington appeared on the “Rich Eisen Show” seen on Peacock. Eisen first asked Darlington if there was anything to Brady wanting to go to Miami. Darlington said there was definitely “fire to the smoke” but not with Brady playing for the Dolphins, on as a minority owner.
Then Eisen asked about rumors of former Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians chasing Brady into retirement because Brady didn’t want to play for him any longer due to conflicts with offensive gameplans.
Darlington said there certainly was friction between Arians and Brady but not enough to prematurely chase Brady into retirement. In fact, Darlington said when Brady announced he would return, he fully expected Arians to be his coach. And the two are tight, Darlington said.
“I talked to a lot of people about that,” Darlington said. “First of all, I do not think he was retiring because Bruce Arians was the coach. … He did get frustrated with game-planning … but he did in New England too.
“I can tell you emphatically he never had regret for one second [about signing with the Bucs in 2020]. To this day, his relationship with Arians is solid. They definitely went at it at times. They got into it at times. But generally speaking, I wouldn’t say it was unhealthier than a lot of coach-quarterback relationships that exists around the NFL currently that probably everybody thinks is perfectly kumbaya.”
What mainly chased Brady into temporary retirement, Darlington said, was Brady’s body was so worn down. Darlington gave the strong impression in the interview that this fall we will likely witness Brady’s final football season. For real.
You can see and hear Darlington’s spot on Eisen’s show in the Peacock video below.
We hadn’t spoken with our buddy @JeffDarlington since the original @TomBrady retirement broke before the Super Bowl — TB12 is obviously back and the #NFL has been turned upside down since: pic.twitter.com/ZNKKVMCQ3H
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 21, 2022
April 22nd, 2022 at 5:03 am
There you have folks, Jeff said it, Bradys last game will be this fall.
April 22nd, 2022 at 6:29 am
We will never know the truth. Lying and coverup is the way of the world now.
April 22nd, 2022 at 6:30 am
No one knows but Brady. Until it comes out of his mouth, it’s all speculation. It doesn’t matter anyway.
April 22nd, 2022 at 6:34 am
As great as Brady is, and all kinds of people think he is some easily offended snowflake. Get Real, Mr 7 Rings is a whole lot more mentally tough than that. Please. all this bable about BA and Brady. This is not utopia, people disagree about things. How many of you have had utopia in your house? Never once have an argument? I mean come on. And to think it is always Hunkie Dorie in the competitive environment of a NFL team. That just is not happening.
Again, Brady is not some weak easily offended snowflake. It takes a whole lot of mental toughness to be great at QB in the NFL. Let alone Brady has never had a losing season, and won 7 Lombardis. So many judge Brady by how they think, and that really is just plain crazy.
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 22nd, 2022 at 6:50 am
Everyone gets into with people they care about. EVERYONE. The only difference is, Brady and BA are famous and the 24/7/365 sports media machine needs to attract viewers/listeners/readers.
April 22nd, 2022 at 7:26 am
Man who cares!!
April 22nd, 2022 at 7:27 am
So….this should be the end of it, right?
Somehow, I doubt it.
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:06 am
Lord willing, Brady’s last game will be on Sunday, February 12th, when he hoists his eighth trophy, and the Bucs celebrate their third World Championship. Brady retires and watches the sun set on a grateful universe, and the anti-Brady/anti-Bucs trolls choke on their own bile. One can only hope!
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:08 am
I finally agree with Oneilbucyall, WHO CARES!! This I getting worse than the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. There you have it, he said he wanted to play to 45 and he is. That Rams game he was beat like Mahomes in the SB only he can’t run 450yds backwards. Sell out and go for a final SB.
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:10 am
Soap opera + professional wrestling + agitprop = NFL = Page Views
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:11 am
A LOT of people, including Bucs fans.
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:15 am
A fellow Warhawk? Can’t be all bad.
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:30 am
Joe, maybe 25 articles ago they did. What difference does it make? Like everything else, individuals are going to form their own opinion.
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:50 am
Brady 100% was pissed that Arians rode around in his electric buggy and left work early arrived late and then fiddled with his and Leftwich gameplan without seeing things on the field in practice as BL and Brady did. That would piss anyone off. This year offensively should go to a whole new level especially if they can get someone in for CG for a few months….larry fitzgerald have any gas for a short run?
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:56 am
Yawn! Yet another story that simply will not fade away.
I never expected bro-hugs and Bromosas 24/7 from grown a$$ men competing in a violent sport. For like a decade now, every off-season has been speculation about Tom retiring. Now that he’s on the verge of signing up for AARP, suddenly there’s all this drama?! Right, or maybe the 1,000 year-old QB is just that…OLD!
It may be counter to people’s opinion but, Mother Nature is UNDEFEATED. Even the GOAT is not immune!
Oh, and in case you’ve been in a bubble, feel free to watch Arians on the sidelines. Tony Dungy HE IS NOT!
April 22nd, 2022 at 9:29 am
Ok I believe now BA retired on his own will because Darlington “talked” with a few people and they told him no. Hahaha. Yea right
April 22nd, 2022 at 9:29 am
Throw Shannon sharpe in the dump
April 22nd, 2022 at 9:37 am
You obviously don’t have data on Joe’s traffic. Or BSPN’s. Or FS1’s. Or Peacock. Joe could go on.
Data aside, Joe has a pretty good idea what Bucs fans want to read. That’s why Joe’s traffic is head and shoulders better than any other Bucs site.
And if you think Joe is going to go full-blown ostrich and ignore how or why the greatest quarterback who ever lived nearly walked away from the Bucs after leading the league in passing, you’ve come to the wrong site.
April 22nd, 2022 at 9:45 am
Arians has ONE year as honorary QB Whisperer and w/ his newly heavy Draft-involved FO job, to get, procure and/or groom us our QB for the future. That’s gotta be his main goal while we still have Brady.
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:07 am
Smoke and mirrors. IMO BA was asked to step down over hitting the player in the helmet during the game and over the Brown incident. While I don’t necessarily disagree with BAs actions in these cases he was very unprofessional on both counts. If Brown wants to be an idiot . Let him, don’t be an idiot with him. Slapping Adams on the helmet just can’t happen these days. Those days are long past.
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:26 am
Kentucky Buc Says:
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:07 am
No evidence for this.
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:43 am
This report is the most believable. All the crap we’ve heard for months was just click generating NFL hype.
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:44 am
I like Eisen’s show. Gives his opinion on things without regard to if he likes the player or not. He is about the only reporter who gave both sides of the Baker Mayfield mess. Easy listening.
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:52 am
List, we have to have at least one of these articles a day. Sometimes more. Consider it akin to the “antifa-like mask” comments that simply must be thrown into everyday’s cup of Joe segment. Just got to have it for some reason. At least this one has slightly more relevancy to the team.
April 22nd, 2022 at 10:54 am
EA Says:
April 22nd, 2022 at 5:03 am
There you have folks, Jeff said it, Bradys last game will be this fall.
No, EA. The middle of February is during the winter.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:27 am
Steven:
If you don’t think Tom Brady damn near quitting on the Bucs is not a monster story, it is of course your prerogative to play ostrich. Also your prerogative: Not reading a story you don’t believe is irrelevant.
If Joe didn’t know what he was doing, this site would have vanished over a decade ago.
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:31 am
For what it’s worth, I care about this story
April 22nd, 2022 at 11:39 am
Can we say dead horse?
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:13 pm
Joe is a bit testy today, this over blown story has been lurking for over a month. There have been many that have posted dead horse prior to this article, maybe it’s the part where I wrote I agree with Oneilbucyall that set him off.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:28 pm
Yep List I think you shocked everybody by agreeing with Oneil. But ever since deflategate Brady has been the main topic of off season NFL football. For the Joes to ignore the stories about Brady when he plays for the Bucs would be doing us that care a disservice.
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:48 pm
Darlington is Henry Hill when Henry kept going on Stern acting like he was still made but was nothing but a rat. Darlington is running on shows commenting on Brady even though he has no insight. Being in Tom Brady camp circle of trust is like being in the mob. Darlington is a rat. Tom sr called him at a couple of weeks ago pre maturely saying Brady is retiring. Darlington is out of Brady trust circle. Go look it up March 2 he was on get up and said Brady wasnt coming back. He said Brady was enjoying he retirement with his family. He said maybe in june he will get itch but in my opinion he is done. Google Get up march 2. That same week Schefter on his podcast said Brady is not coming back. No insider not Shefter Darlington will ever break major news about Brady again
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:49 pm
Darlington is a fraud. Tom sr called him at a couple of weeks ago pre maturely saying Brady is retiring. Darlington is out of Brady trust circle. Go look it up March 2 he was on get up and said Brady wasnt coming back. He said Brady was enjoying he retirement with his family. He said maybe in june he will get itch but in my opinion he is done. Google Get up march 2. That same week Schefter on his podcast said Brady is not coming back. Darlington today also said i thinks Brady will play for Dolphins next year. He said where there is smoke their is fire. He is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He is finished with the Brady camp
April 22nd, 2022 at 12:52 pm
Darlington is Henry Hill when Henry kept going on Stern acting like he was still made but was nothing but a rat. Darlington is running on shows commenting on Brady even though he has no insight. Being in Tom Brady camp circle of trust is like being in the mob. Darlington is a rat. Tom sr called him at a couple of weeks ago pre maturely saying Brady is retiring. Darlington is out of Brady trust circle. Go look it up March 2 he was on get up and said Brady wasnt coming back. He said Brady was enjoying he retirement with his family. He said maybe in june he will get itch but in my opinion he is done. Google Get up march 2. That same week Schefter on his podcast said Brady is not coming back. No insider not Shefter Darlington will ever break major news about Brady again
April 22nd, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Great job, Joe.
That was relevant & meaningful. It basically confirms everything I thought. All is just fine with Tom & Bruce… and now let’s get down to business.
LFG!!!!!@!!!!!#!@!#!%^^$##@!@
April 22nd, 2022 at 8:52 pm
How did AB create a catch phrase? Crazy….kumbaya