In a recent article by CBS Sports, legendary quarterback Tom Brady jokes about playing in the Canadian Football League. 

But is it a joke? 

When it comes to pro football, the CFL had its fair share of great players coming from south of the 49th parallel.  

Some of the most notable players that have success in both the NFL and CFL are:  

Warren Moon – Edmonton Eskimos (1978 – 1983), Houston Oilers (1984 – 1993), Minnesota Vikings (1994 – 1996), Seattle Seahawks (1997 – 1998), Kansas City Chiefs (1999 – 2000)  

Doug Flutie – New Jersey Generals (USFL 1985), Chicago Bears (1986 – 1987), New England Patriots (1987 – 1989), BC Lions (1990 – 1991), Calgary Stampeders (1992 – 1995), Toronto Argonauts (1996 – 1997), Buffalo Bills (1998 – 2000), San Diego Chargers (2001 – 2004), New England Patriots (2005) 

Jeff Garcia – Calgary Stampeders (1994 – 1998), San Francisco 49ers (1999 – 2003), Cleveland Browns (2004), Detroit Lions (2005), Philadelphia Eagles (2006), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007 – 2008), Oakland Raiders (2009), Philadelphia Eagles (2009), Omaha Nighthawks (United Football League 2010), Houston Texans (2011) 

Joe Theismann – Toronto Argonauts (1971 – 1973), Washington Redskins (1974 – 1985) 

Cameron Wake – New York Giants (2005), BC Lions (2007 – 2008), Miami Dolphins (2009 – 2018), Tennessee Titans (2019) 

And there were more. 

Others include the likes of O.J. Brigance who won a Grey Cup with the Baltimore Stallions and a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. O. J. Brigance won two football championships in two different leagues in the same city. 

Terry Greer won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 1983, along with a Super Bowl with San Francisco in 1987 with the legendary 49ers teams of the 1980s which included Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Joe Montana, Tom Rathman, and one of the hardest hitters in pro football Ronnie Lott.    

And there were more, a lot more. 

But let’s circle back and focus on Tom Brady here.    

Could he be serious about playing in the CFL? 

The obvious answer is no and that it could be just a joke. But what if it wasn’t? 

Tom Brady just loves playing football. He has made a lot of money during his playing days with the New England Patriots and most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And with that, he experienced a lot of success from winning seven Super Bowls and rewriting the NFL record books. 

Sometimes you get a player where money is not the issue, and will play with a discount just simply for the love of the game. 

Let’s just say that in about two to three years from now, Tom Brady announces his retirement from the National Football League, and states that he will want to play a couple of seasons in the Canadian Football League before officially retiring from pro football. 

Would you be surprised? 

Absolutely. 

Having said that, for any football fan that would say this would never happen is obvious. 

But guess what folks, nobody thought Wayne Gretzky would be traded from the Edmonton Oilers on August 9th, 1988 to the Los Angeles Kings. As a Canadian, this was the biggest shockwave from coast to coast. And nothing still to this day in Canada comes close to the Gretzky trade. 

Nobody thought that during the 1991 NFL Draft, the number 1 pick would be Rahib “Rocket” Ismail going to sign with the Toronto Argonauts. 

But it happened. 

So, if and when Tom Brady does play in the CFL, you have to admit, a lot of stadiums will be packed to see him play. 

Let’s not stop there also. Aaron Rogers has been a huge fan of the CFL. He is close friends with former CFL quarterback Mike Reilly. It would not surprise me if and when he might call it a career also in playing in the CFL. Because after all, he did get traded to Canada as reported five years ago.