Tom Brady's return leads to immediate re-signing of key free agent on the offensive line for Buccaneers

The Buccaneers QB called his center on Sunday to make sure he would be returning

The return of Tom Brady is already having an immediate and positive impact on the Buccaneers' free agency plans. Less than five hours after Brady announced that he would be coming out of retirement, the Bucs got some more good news when Ryan Jensen tweeted out that he would be re-signing with the team. 

The Bucs center, who hasn't missed a game since signing with the team in 2018, has agreed to a three-year deal. According to ESPN.com, Jensen's deal is worth a total of $39 million, which includes $23 million in guarantees. 

Jensen was a key free agent the Buccaneers couldn't afford to lose and Brady made sure that didn't happen. According to NBC Sports, Brady actually called Jensen on Sunday and that conversation is believed to have played a part in why the center signed now without testing the waters of free agency. If Jensen had just waited until noon on Monday, he could have started talking to other teams, but instead, his agent (Mike McCartney) was able to hammer out a deal with the Buccaneers that was finalized just before midnight on Sunday. 

If Jensen had hit free agency, he likely would have commanded up to $15 million per year, but he took a small discount to return to Tampa and play with Brady. There's a good reason that Brady wanted to make sure that Jensen would be coming back and that's because he's been one of the best centers in the NFL over the past few years. In 2021, the 30-year-old surrendered just two sacks during a season where he was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. 

The return of Brady is likely going to have a huge impact on what the Buccaneers do in free agency. Going into this week, the Buccaneers had 24 players who were going to be free agents. With Brady in retirement, many of those players likely would have tested free agency, but with Brady back in the fold, it won't be surprising if many of those players pull a Jensen and end up re-signing with the Buccaneers. 

The next domino to fall could be Rob Gronkowski. Although he can start talking to other teams on Monday, the more likely scenario is that he stays in Tampa so he can spend another season with Brady, the only quarterback he's ever played with.