The foundational moment of the Dream Team came together late on a Wednesday night last March, after Tom Brady had exhausted all of his questions for Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht.
Brady was going to have options on the table, but his call with the Buccaneers’ brain trust sounded more like the final stages of a vetting process. He knew the roster’s makeup and had familiarized himself with the team’s key decision-makers. He knew the most pertinent members of the coaching staff and how both sides of the ball were schemed in 2019.