Tom Brady officially joins Buccaneers

Tom Brady is officially on board with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The former New England Patriots quarterback announced Friday he was joining the team in the start of what he called “a new football journey.” The six-time Super Bowl champion and three-time MVP agreed to terms on a contract Tuesday but needed to take a physical to complete the deal.

Brady announced the deal in a message posted to his Instagram.

“Excited, humble and hungry ... if there is one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that...you earn the trust and respect of those around through your commitment every single day,” Brady wrote. ”I’m starting a new football journey and thankful for the @buccaneers for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do. I look forward to meeting all my new teammates and coaches and proving to them that they can believe and trust in me...I have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I’m gonna not gonna say much more - I’m just gonna get to work! #Year1”

Brady, 42, parts with the Patriots after a 20-year run with the franchise in which he rose from a sixth-round draft pick to become arguably the most decorated and accomplished player in NFL history.

In Tampa, he joins a franchise that has the NFL’s second-longest active playoff drought, with the Buccaneers not having made the postseason since 2007. The team hasn’t won in the playoffs since the 2002 season, in which it won its lone Super Bowl.

“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates,” Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said in a statement by the team. “I’ve known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization.”

The Buccaneers ranked first in passing (302.8 yards per game) last season under former starting quarterback Jameis Winston, who now is a free agent. Brady will have one of the NFL’s premier wide receiver tandems in Pro Bowl selections Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.

“Tom is the most successful quarterback in the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make those around him better,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said in a statement. “I have had the privilege to work with some of the best passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different. He is a proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship.”

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