Titans CB hints Tom Brady was distraction for 2022 Buccaneers

Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the Tennessee Titans in free agency and is the latest noteworthy member of the football community to suggest quarterback Tom Brady sparked distractions for the 2022 Buccaneers.

"More of a certain focus for myself because there’s not a bunch of cameras around, you know, you can just hone in on your craft and hone in on yourself," Murphy-Bunting said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio about what he's thus far experienced with the Titans, per the JoeBucsFan website. "You don’t have to think about all the other things that go into it. You can just play ball." 

JoeBucsFan noted that "the Bucs did have sort of a circus-like atmosphere around training camp last season" after Brady temporarily retired in February 2022 and then unexpectedly took an 11-day break away from the club during the preseason for what were initially undisclosed personal reasons. Even before Brady and Gisele Bündchen announced their divorce after 13 years of marriage on Oct. 28, former quarterback Phil Simms said the seven-time Super Bowl champion was causing "distractions" for a Buccaneers team that began November with a 3-5 record. 

Murphy-Bunting and his teammates dealt with rumors throughout the fall claiming Brady could retire at any time before the end of the campaign, and veteran defensive end William Gholston raised eyebrows when he said this past winter that the Buccaneers lacked the proper "mindset and mentality" during the season. 

Senior advisor Bruce Arians later acknowledged the 2022 Buccaneers didn't have "the real Tom Brady out there" during games, and NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said this spring he believed some Tampa Bay players were "relieved, and rejuvenated and recharged" following Brady's second and "for good" retirement. 

Even though every NFC South team finished the season with a losing record, it's nevertheless somewhat remarkable Tampa Bay won the division title considering everything that hovered over the franchise from Brady's return in March 2022 through the 31-14 playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys. One wonders how good that Buccaneers team could've been had Brady spent the entire campaign as a 45-year-old version of himself unbothered by behind-the-scenes personal issues.