Mayo doubts Brady will return to Patriots as player

Tom Brady recently got Patriots fans excited by saying he isn't opposed to making a late-season NFL return, but New England head coach Jerod Mayo doesn't expect the legendary quarterback to play for his former team again.

"I love Tom. The door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach. But as far as going on the field, I don't know," Mayo said on "The Greg Hill Show."

Brady specifically mentioned the Patriots, as well as the Las Vegas Raiders, as a hypothetical landing spot for him during an interview on the "DeepCut with VicBlends" podcast in early April. However, he noted that the NFL might not allow him to play again if he becomes a minority owner of the Raiders, which is expected to happen.

The 46-year-old announced his retirement from football in February 2023 after 23 NFL seasons and seven Super Bowl titles, including six championships with New England.

"If (Brady) comes in here ... you have to come here and compete. And he loves competition. But I doubt he's going to be walking through these doors any time soon," Mayo added.

Mayo's outfit drafted quarterback Drake Maye third overall in last week's draft. The team also selected QB Joe Milton in the sixth round, adding them to a depth chart that includes passers Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and Nathan Rourke.

Mayo, who was named head coach this offseason to replace Bill Belichick, has yet to announce who will be the Patriots' starter in 2024. The 38-year-old coach played with Brady in New England and won one Super Bowl during his career as a linebacker.

The Patriots have had four different starting QBs and posted a 29-38 record since Brady left the team during the 2020 offseason.

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