Tom Brady sparked up what felt like a nationwide search for a quarterback that one NFL team decided to stick with rather than fully pursue the seven-time Super Bowl champion when he hit free agency in 2020. During an appearance on HBO’s The Shop: Uninterrupted earlier this offseason, Brady revealed that there was a team that ultimately didn’t show full interest in signing him, to which he reacted by saying “You’re sticking with that mother******?” in reference to the club’s current quarterback.  

Naturally, that sent curious NFL minds on a scavenger hunt to try and identify the team that passed on him and, in turn, the quarterback that Brady clearly doesn’t think too fondly of. There’s been speculation that it could have been Brady’s hometown San Francisco 49ers and his former Patriots teammate Jimmy Garoppolo along with possibly Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders. 

While the jury is still out on who exactly drew the ire of Brady, it appears you can cross Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans — who his Buccaneers are set to play on Saturday — off the list. When asked on Wednesday if Tannehill was the quarterback he was referring to, Brady dismissed that possibility saying he wasn’t. 

“I like Ryan a lot,” Brady said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I think he’s a great player. Obviously a great leader for the team and done a great job. Last year was phenomenal, year before that was great. I really like competing against him a lot, he’s beaten me quite a few times.”

The Titans were rumored to be in the Brady sweepstakes leading up to free agency that offseason and that possibility of the legendary quarterback landing in Nashville was only heightened when he was seen FaceTiming with his former teammate and current Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. 

Ultimately, however, Tennessee elected to sign Ryan Tannehill to an extension, eliminating any chance that Brady would end up there. While this situation would certainly fit the bill for what Brady was referring to on the show, it appears like he’s holding no grudge towards anyone with the Titans.  

Brady, Gronk and the gang are back. Are the Bucs ready to hoist the Lombardi Trophy again? Download the CBS Sports app to get up-the-minute updates on the defending champs. Favorite the Bucs now if you’ve already downloaded the CBS Sports app so you don’t miss a thing.