Tom Brady's name alone should cause players to jump at the opportunity to play alongside him.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Adam Humphries found himself facing that very situation during free agency as one of the top wide receivers to hit the open market. Humphries, however, elected to sign a four-year deal in Tennessee after pondering a last-ditch effort from New England to land his services.
Humphries' reasoning, which he shared as part of an in-depth profile feature story at The Athletic, on why he selected Tennessee over catching passes from Brady might surprise a lot of people.
"Obviously, he's the G.O.A.T. That's that simple," Humphries said, via Travis Haney of The Athletic. "But there's so much that factors into a decision. It was a four-year deal. Who knows how many (years) he's got left? There's a lot that goes into it.
"Obviously the chance to play with him would have been awesome, but a lot of things factor into that decision. Ultimately, I thought this was coming here to a team that was on the rise and with young talent on the offense and a really good defense. They'd had a taste of the playoffs. I felt like my need at the slot position was great. I felt like I could really contribute and start something new here."
That Brady's age factored in Humphries' decision is fascinating despite the Patriots signal-caller's proven track record of making stars out of his slot receivers.
Instead of playing alongside a virtual lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the 41-year-old Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champion, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Humphries will now catch passes from the 25-year-old Marcus Mariota.
Still, the newest Titans wide receiver said there were other factors at play before he ultimately selected his current team.
"There were a ton of pros and not a lot of cons," Humphries said. "You have to look at both situations and a quality of life and where you're living, state taxes. A lot of things go into it when you're talking with your agents and families and stuff about it. At the end of the day, my heart wanted to be in Tennessee. I was happy to finally have that all over with and have a team I could commit to and try my best for them.
"I felt like my talents would be used best here. And New England was the same way. That would have worked, too, but at the end of the day, it was a good decision to come here."
Humphries also touched on a variety of subjects, including his time at Clemson to his path as an undrafted free agent to being a coveted free-agent signing, in the well-written article.
Click here to read Haney's in-depth profile feature story.
