Patriots announcer Scott Zolak says Tom Brady to Dolphins ‘is on the line’

After all, Tom Brady could join the Miami Dolphins, according to multiple reports from members of the NFL media.

The latest to report that the legendary 45-year-old quarterback will be coming out of retirement for the second straight season is former New England quarterback Scott Zolak, who is now a member of the Patriots’ broadcast staff.

“Brady can go to Miami,” Zolak said Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston. “I think this is at stake. I make. I think the possibility of him coming out of retirement is definitely 100% on the line. You can sit there and look at the kitty tweet from yesterday. Don’t buy it.

“I’m not the one saying that,” added Zolak, who spent seven seasons with the Patriots and one season with the Dolphins. “This is not someone close to Brady. It all started with Rico Eisen. Eisen is in [scouting combine]. Several people gave the tips. This is Colin Cowherd, he knows some people at Fox. I don’t think he will call games. How is this deal done? How do you sign a guy to a 10-year, $375 million contract to call games, he’s not even going to do that next year. I know his handlers have moved to Miami. It’s built for him. He is looking for private schools for his children. Cowherd talks about San Francisco crime. He’s not talking about San Francisco. He’s talking about Mike McDaniel in Miami.

The Dolphins have made multiple attempts on Brady over the years when he was with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, resulting in Miami losing a 2023 first round pick for tampering with the future Hall of Famer.

The Dolphins are adamant that Tua Tagovailoa will be the starter this season.

“He’s our quarterback, and he’s our quarterback here to be successful for a long time,” Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier said last week at the NFL’s scouting compound in Indianapolis. “Very excited for him. The advances he has made this year with [McDaniel] and the attack, you’ve already seen. It was really exciting. And to see the work that he’s done that you don’t see in the facility and out there has been really amazing.”

Tagovailoa had a passer rating of 105.5 and 8.9 yards per attempt last season, along with career highs with 25 touchdowns and 3,548 passing yards.

But durability concerns remain, as he missed 5 1/2 games during concussion protocol, which will likely lead to the Dolphins not picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.

The Dolphins have until May 1 to exercise an option that, after the 2023 season, Tagovailoa’s fourth, would keep him under contract in 2024 for $23.1 million.

Brady, who won seven Super Bowls in his illustrious 23-year career, briefly retired after the 2021 season before returning for another year with the Bucs. He led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl victory in 2021, but lost in the first round last season.

The three-time NFL MVP, who has been named to 15 Pro Bowls, announced his retirement on Feb. 1, saying “I’m retiring. For good.” That now remains to be seen.

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