Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady has an idea of whom he wants as the new tight end on the Bucs roster. Brady jokingly said that his team should recruit New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge to play as a Tampa Bay tight end after his contract with the Yankees ends.
Judge made an appearance on the most recent episode of Brady’s Let’s Go! Podcast. They had discussed a variety of topics before Brady asked Judge a question in an attempt to entice the star outfielder to play football with him during the offseason.
“Obviously having such an incredible year and now on the brink of free agency, I was certainly wondering what it would take to get you down here in Tampa to be a tight end for us next year. So as a free agent, it looked pretty good to me,” Brady said.
Co-host Jim Gray asked if Judge could have made it to the NFL. Brady appeared to believe that Judge could play in the league. The veteran QB emphasized Judge’s accomplishments in baseball. He said that the Yankees star had all of the skills needed by a football player, including speed, size, length, strength and power.
According to Pro Football Reference, the 30-year-old is taller and heavier than any of the Buccaneers’ tight ends at this time. Judge is 6-foot-7 and weighs 282 kilograms while Buccaneers tight end Kyle Rudolph is 6-foot-6 and weighs 265 kilograms.
Brady says Judge should be two-sport athlete
Brady said Judge could work as a two-sport athlete, knowing that the baseball star used to play football in high school.
“I know you were a great high school football player,” he said. “I think, you know, obviously baseball turned out pretty well for you, but I don’t know, I think maybe this dual sport athlete we might have to look into.”
Judge was a wide receiver at Linden High School in California, where he set a faculty record for touchdowns. However, he stayed focused on baseball to mske a great career in MLB.
The outfielder chuckled and responded to Brady’s offer, saying they could find a way to make it work.
“Hey, we can get a nice little split contract, you know what I’m saying? We could find a way to work this out,” Judge said. “You just gimme some looks in the red zone and then I can go off and hit some homers after that. We’ll figure something out.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champ was even convinced that if Judge had dedicated his time and energy to football, he would make a great success. However, Brady recognized that the 30-year-old chose the right sport and had proven what he was capable of with a spectacular play to watch.
Judge hits 62 home runs with Yankees
Judge told Brady that it was hard for him to believe he had reached an American League record of 62 home runs for the season.
Judge named himself alongside American baseball legends such as Babe Ruth, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle despite starting his career only a couple of years ago.
“It’s a shock,” Judge said. “Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, the list goes on and on. You see them around Yankee stadium with their World Series rings, those are Yankee legends and baseball greats.”
Brady applauded Judge and highlighted not only his physical ability but also his personality and characteristics as an athlete overall.
“Aaron gets to be part of that tradition but you still feel a humility of where you started,” Brady said. “You haven’t changed you look at yourself like a high school kid trying to prove yourself every day. He is who he is because of the characteristics that define him as a person and a team-mate, not what other people define him as.
“To hit 62 home runs and have humility, that’s a character trait, a personality trait. Those things aren’t going to change in him.”
Judge and the Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 in Game 1 of the ALDS on Tuesday. The player on the path to leading the Yankees to their 28th World Series title this season.