Tom Brady in the NFC North? Apparently, it almost happened

Tom Brady let the world in on a little secret over the weekend.

Apparently, he was almost a member of the Chicago Bears.

During Fox's broadcast of the Buccaneers-Eagles game on Sunday, the seven-time Super Bowl champion revealed he almost signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent in 2020 before ultimately signing in Tampa.

Brady, a 3-time MVP who won his final Super Bowl with the Bucs, said that he created 18 criteria for each of the franchises he was considering after his incredible run with the Patriots ended.

"Chicago was a team, and I've never told that story before, they were very stealth in their recruitment," Brady said . "I was seriously considering, but in the end, it came down to Tampa. And it was close to my son Jack, I loved Bruce Arians and the role that he played in offense, and ultimately the great players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin that I'm still out there watching today."

The revelation creates a lot of what-ifs for Bears fans, but also the rest of the NFC North.

Brady was successful immediately in Tampa, and while Chicago's supporting cast may not have been comparable, the Bears did start 5-1 in 2020.

Chicago went on to lose six consecutive games with Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles at quarterback, so it's safe to say Brady would have helped.

As it turned out, he spent two more seasons with the Bucs before retiring after the 2022 season.