Tom Brady is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after ending his 20-year career with the New England Patriots.

ESPN reported the Buccaneers were set to sign the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback “barring any unforeseen circumstances” on the same day Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots, ending one of the most successful chapters in the history of American sports.

The network characterized the signing as a done deal despite there being no signing date or official announcement scheduled.

Brady will be 43 when the next NFL season begins. He also brings with him six Super Bowl titles, four Super Bowl MVP trophies and three regular-season MVP awards. Simply put, he’s the most successful quarterback in pro football history.

“I don’t know what my football future holds, but it is time for me to open a new stage for my life and my career,” he wrote earlier on Tuesday. “Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for our incredible TEAM experiences.”

Tampa Bay are believed to have made a pitch to Brady on Monday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd and Dale Arnold of WEEI in Boston reported Tampa Bay as the destination for the free agent quarterback.

“I have somebody telling me this morning – this is very interesting – this is not a football source. It’s an icon source. It is somebody in Tom’s stratosphere that knows Tom, that is a famous person. And he says Tampa,” Cowherd said on his radio show. “That’s what he’s telling me. I am contacting teams. That is what I’m hearing. I’m hearing Tampa Bay.”

Arnold added on Twitter: “From my source: the @Buccaneers will announce their deal with @TomBrady tomorrow. The deal is done.”

The Los Angeles Chargers were considered to be the other team in the running for Brady, who ranks second all-time in passing yards (74,571) and touchdowns (541) behind Drew Brees.

Brady will overnight add a winning touch to a franchise seemingly defined by misery. Although the Buccaneers did win a Super Bowl in January 2003, the team’s all-time record of 267 wins, 424 losses and one tie is the lowest winning percentage (.387) of any NFL team by a wide margin, well behind the second-worst Arizona Cardinals (.423).

With Brady in the mix for the Buccaneers, former No 1 pick Jameis Winston is free to move on the open market. Among the teams expected to add a veteran quarterback are the Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Chargers. Tampa Bay’s home ground, Raymond James Stadium, is scheduled to host Super Bowl LV on 7 February 2021.