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🏈 End of the Road?

🏈 End of the Road?

January 17, 2023

What is up Beyond The Press family? Super Wild Card Weekend is officially in the books as the Dallas Cowboys bulldozed Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-14 last night. The Cowboys were led by a very impressive Dak Prescott who threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns and was responsible for one rushing touchdown as well. This is actually the first time Tom Brady has ever lost to the Cowboys as he was 7-0 prior to last night. This also leaves the ultimate question in what the future beholds for Brady and the Buccaneers.

In today's BTP we break down the very question on where Tom Brady will go from here, what Jim Harbaugh returning to Michigan means for their program, and a very inspirational story about how Caron Butler went from prison to the NBA in five years!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

END OF THE ROAD?

Where does Tom Brady's Future Stand?

No one but Tom Brady knows what he’s going to do next. Brady looked off in last night’s 31-14 playoff loss to the Cowboys, even though he threw for over 350 yards on 66 pass attempts, but was that really the end of Brady’s legendary NFL career?

Brady has no shortage of options on what to do next, whether that’s retiring and relaxing for a while, joining the FOX broadcast booth (where he previously inked a massive contract), or continuing to play football. Knowing how much Brady loves the game, the betting odds have got to be that he continues playing, but where he takes his talents will be one of the biggest storylines of the offseason.

Tampa Bay reportedly wants him to come back but the Tompa Bay era seems to be over. This team isn’t the same one that Brady won a Super Bowl with, and it’s likely Brady harbors some resentment over the way they blocked his rumored Miami move when he came out of retirement.

The Titans are likely still interested and could use an upgrade at quarterback, and depending on what happens with the 49ers and Brock Purdy, Brady would definitely welcome a homecoming to his boyhood team, especially with their elite defense and run game. However, the team that feels most likely to get in the mix has to be the Las Vegas Raiders.

Brady has several friends in that building, especially his former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and if you recall, last summer Gronk confirmed a story that he and Brady were very nearly Raiders in 2020, but that then-coach Jon Gruden turned it down. The Raiders have an opening, an elite wide receiver in Davante Adams, and Brady would’ve gone there three years ago but until we hear it from him, all we can do is guess.

RUN IT BACK

Jim Harbaugh Flirts with NFL, Returns to Michigan

Jim Harbaugh is staying put. For the second year in a row, Harbaugh has interviewed with an NFL franchise before deciding to return to his alma mater. Last year, he interviewed with the Vikings but didn’t get an offer, and this year he formally interviewed with the Broncos but reportedly received interest from multiple other NFL teams.

Harbaugh has done a fantastic job in Michigan since taking over the program in 2015. He’s gone 74-25 in his time as head coach, culminating in back-to-back Big Ten titles and trips to the College Football Playoffs. Despite losing in a shocking upset at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs in the CFB semifinals, Michigan is expected to be a favorite next year and currently has the fourth-best title odds, behind Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama.

Perhaps the strangest part of Harbaugh electing to stay with the Wolverines is that he’s facing an NCAA investigation and could be suspended. Yahoo Sports reported that UM received a notice of allegations earlier this month which includes several Level II violations and one Level I violation for allegedly not complying with or misleading NCAA investigators.

Harbaugh must be confident he can beat the allegations or at least that the team could weather the storm for however long he’s gone. Like Harbaugh, several of his team’s best players opted to run it back rather than turn pro, including running back Blake Corum, receiver Cornelius Johnson, offensive linemen Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, and defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, which surely made the decision to return a little easier.

NEW BEGINNINGS

How Caron Butler went from Prisoner to Lottery Pick

While no one has an “easy” path to the NBA, Caron Butler’s road was definitely rockier than most. Butler was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, and at an early age, began finding himself on the wrong side of the law. By his 15th birthday, Butler had already been arrested a staggering 15 times, and things only got worse from there.

At 16, Butler was sentenced to one year in prison for firearms and cocaine possession, and it looked like he would never realize his basketball potential but something changed in Butler during his days behind bars, and after his sentence ended, he walked away a new man. Once out of prison he briefly attended Washington Park High School before transferring to Maine Central Institute. It was at MCI that the legendary college basketball coach Jim Calhoun discovered him and offered him a scholarship.

Butler’s time at UConn was brief but remarkable. In his freshman year, he led the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds and was even better his sophomore year, averaging 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds en route to a co-Big East Player of the Year award. Butler's monster season and tenacious style of play led to him being selected 10th overall by the Miami Heat in the 2002 Draft.

Butler played for nine different teams during his 14-year NBA career but he absolutely made the most of it, winning an NBA title and earning two All-Stars along the way. Butler retired from the NBA in 2018 but didn’t stay away for long, joining the Miami Heat coaching staff in 2020, where he remains working to this day.