They are, all three, fixtures in their longtime NFL homes. Philip Rivers has been a Charger since 2004, and their starter since 2006 without missing a single game since that time. Drew Brees, whom Rivers supplanted in San Diego way back when, has been a New Orleans Saint since 2006, and delivered the franchise its lone Super Bowl title 10 years ago. Tom Brady, a three-time MVP and a six-time Super Bowl champion, has been a New England Patriot since the team famously drafted him in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft.
It is difficult to picture any of the three wearing a different uniform, and difficult to picture any of their three teams without them.
Yet, as the 2020 offseason dawns, each of these three venerable veterans is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and the real possibility exists that each of these three teams has a different starting quarterback next season.
Based on conversations with various NFL team executives and agents about the coming free-agent market, let's take a look at all three cases and the chances that Brady, Brees and Rivers move on from their teams:
Tom Brady
2019 stats: 24 TD passes, 8 INTs while completing 60.8% of his passes; 53.7 Total QBR (17th in NFL)
Brady turns 43 in August, but he has made it clear he's not interested in retiring, so we can get that one out of the way up front. His contract is set to void, making him a free agent, and his agreement with the Patriots specifies that they cannot use the franchise tag on him. This obviously helps Brady's leverage in talks with the only franchise for which he has ever played, and the sense around this situation is that that will matter.
