January 24, 2022 8:30 a.m.

Aaron Rodgers. That's who should replace Brady if Tom is done playing. 

First, the story of Brady and his future became a hot topic on Sunday pregame shows. Then, the Bucs lost to the Rams and the speculation continued. Brady said he will take some time, as he has said the last few years after the final game, to sit back and evaluate what he wants to do. Brady would be 45 when the new season begins but he is coming off of one of his best statistical seasons ever. He threw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. 

Why continue playing? He loves competing and he is still playing at a high level. He loves living in the Tampa Bay area and the Bucs have been willing to give him whatever he wants. So why not do it again? Because at 45 the body is another year older and Brady continues to grow his business empire. He has become an investor in numerous companies and apparently has been planning for a post-football career.

So if Tom says that's it, Rodgers should be the choice for the Bucs. It works for all. After the Packers lost to the Niners, Rodgers said he doesn't want to be part of the rebuild. The Packers have a ton of work to do to get under the cap and while teams can find ways to work the system, maybe Rodgers just wants a change of scenery and management. The Bucs are a perfect fit. I know, the Bucs have some cap issues and other key players who are due deals(like Lenoard Fornette) and others who came back for another season because of Brady and a chance to win(Ndamukong Suh). But if you are the Bucs, you are not interested in a rebuild either. The same applies to a fan base who came back to fill a stadium that was half empty before Brady arrived.

Aaron Rodgers would still find weapons and a strong defense to be a team that can contend for the NFC. Heck, let the Bucs figure out how to get Davante Adams to join Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Rodgers would love the warm weather and he may be coming with back-to-back MVP trophies. Rodgers is 38 and he has at least two to three years left of high level football. 

If Brady decides he is done, imagine if the Bucs replaced him with the other polarizing ARod?...

Other NFL notes from the greatest divisional weekend ever:

What if Joe Burrow decided to stick out and compete for the job at Ohio State and never left for LSU?

Ryan Tannehill is good enough to make you believe you can win a lot of games in the regular season for you. But Ryan Tannehill is also average enough to throw three picks and make you lose a playoff game.

Bengals' kicker Evan McPherson kicked four field goals, including the game winner from 52 yards. The former Florida Gator made 51 of 60 kicks in college, had an 84-yard punt in high school and his younger brother, Alex, is the nation's highest rated kicker and is headed to Auburn.

Nothing as beautiful as snow falling for a playoff game at Lambeau Field. Twitter had been trying to bench Jimmy Garoppolo all season and maybe Trey Lance is the future but my guess is Jimmy G's teammates love the guy. He wasn't spectacular by going 11-19 for 131 yards and 1 interception. But he was 2-2 for 26 yards on the final game winning drive and the Niners found a way to win and beat the Packers in Green Bay. If this was Aaron Rodgers last game with the Packers, it came with no touchdowns and his team scored 10 points.

Why would the Bucs blitz on that play? Why allow Cooper Kupp to go one-one-one with anyone? In a crazy game where the Rams did everything to let the Bucs come back, Matthew Stafford made the throw on the biggest play of his career and the Rams win. Did Cam Akers just fumble again?

Gabe Davis!!! Gabe Davis!!!

The Bills-Chiefs game might be one of the greatest games I've ever seen. Amazing QB play. Incredible game changing moments in the final two minutes. And a massive TV audience. But why, why, why would the Bills kick it deep into the end zone with 0:13 left in the game. Why not kick the ball short of the end zone and force the Chiefs to run the kick back and likely take :05-:07 off the clock. That would have left Mahomes maybe one play, but not two, to set up for the game tying field goal. I just don't get that one.

If you are going to call Aaron Donald for taunting for shouting at a player, how can you not flag Tyreek Hill for his deuces sign racing to the end zone?

Since the OT rules were changed years ago, seven of the 11 playoff games have ended with a touchdown on the first series without the second team getting a possession.

Saints' Coach Sean Payton may step away for a season and hop into a broadcast booth and if Troy Aikman jumps to Amazon then Payton could replace him in the FOX booth. Payton is owed $45M over three years by the Saints. But what is he worth on the trade market? Would some team be willing to offer a few draft picks to land one of the best offensive coaches in the game?

Final thought: Why does the NFL draw so many more viewers than college football? Because there are only 32 NFL teams and if you are going to be a fan of a team, you only have 32 choices. There are over 800 colleges that field a college football team. There are 130 teams in the FBS(often known as 1-A). You split a lot of fans in college football.