Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1567 - 1566: Arms Race

Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ complaints, are they really just complaints?

Not necessarily.

Behind the murmurs and grumbles lies the dissatisfaction of the League towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs for seizing the upper hand in the arms race.

When the entire League is sharpening knives to dethrone the three-time defending champions, any seemingly advantageous move by the Kansas City Chiefs might be met with an ambush from all sides.

The matter is that simple.

For this reason, the League also deeply realizes that if they want to break the pattern, forming alliances is an inevitable result. They must put aside bias and selfishness, and find mutually beneficial ways, carving out a bloody path by working together, to absolutely stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs from succeeding.

Of course, interests remain fundamental. The Professional League, after all, is a game of numbers, where team owners only care about interests; but this season, the situation has slightly changed, with teams willing to help each other without harming their own interests.

The Free Market has seen unprecedented prosperity.

Transfers, trades, roster-building, thirty teams working together to complement each other, managers, and coaches are rushing to construct their rosters according to their blueprints, united against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, each grinding their teeth, eyes blazing with hostility.

The NFL showcases a rare scene, "Thirty teams VS Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Kansas City Chiefs," where people seem to have reached a silent understanding, akin to the Phoenix Society uniting against Voldemort in "Harry Potter," a storm is brewing and the air pressure invades the League.

Even experienced professionals express that this is an unprecedented sight, from the Kansas City Chiefs’ triple championship feat to the seismic transfer shocks during the offseason. By the time the 2020 season is about to start, it’s already felt that this will be an unprecedented season.

United in strength!

United in heart!

Since the millennium, the two targets graced with the title "League’s enemies," Brady and Li Wei, are sprinting full speed ahead this offseason, turning the 2020 season into yet another "Goat VS rookie" preview, thoroughly provoking the League and pushing all competitors onto the opposite side. By the time the two realized, the other thirty teams had already aimed their guns at them.

In an instant, this seems to become an absurd spectacle of "Brady and Li Wei against the world," which these two League enemies surely didn’t anticipate.

The main parties, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, are both feeling this resistance, an invisible, intangible barrier stands before them—

Their actions in the Free Market are noticeably constrained.

It’s not as straightforward as outright refusal or blockade, but all negotiations become strained, with more tug of war over the detailed conditions. It’s like gears missing lubrication, still functioning but with bumps and hiccups, feeling uncomfortable all around.

Overnight, they seem to have offended everyone.

Both coaches, Arians and Reed, are dumbfounded.

Reed is okay; he’s mentally prepared.

After three championships, Kansas City Chiefs is a target, and their hatred level is maxed out, with Watt being just another target, not worrying about more debts.

Kansas City Chiefs continue to advance their offseason plans methodically, not only having a Plan A but also Plans B, C, and D, fully armed for any situation.

Arians looks frustrated, with a distressed appearance as if he entirely did not anticipate this scene.

"We... who did we offend... believe me, Tom is already forty-three, no need to make a fuss, we are just struggling to survive..."

"It’s fine to target the Chiefs, but we’re innocent, what’s up with collective resentment and punishment?"

"What? Transferred hatred? Hatred moved from New England to Tampa Bay, all because of Tom?"

"But, but I’m innocent! In my career, I don’t even have a single head coach Super Bowl Championship Trophy, okay? Why treat me like this?"

Arians is also tearless—

Yet, other teams aren’t buying it; how could this old fox Arians be innocent, and how could he not know Brady’s influence?

Such gestures, enough to fool young ones, don’t work in front of seasoned veterans; no one easily trusts Arians.

Everything, before interests and championships, is just a game, a contest, a battle, a life-and-death intense competition. The 2020 season’s NFL Super Bowl battle is pushed to an unprecedented peak.

Not merely focused on a Vince Lombardi Trophy; even the playoff spots and regular-season confrontations can early smell the pervasive scent of gunpowder.

This is a war!

Regarding Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as other thirty teams, peeling away dazzling, overwhelming appearances, ultimately depends on each party’s game, the Free Market’s interest exchanges, and the draft’s insightful selections; after that, it’s up to team managers and coaches—

Eight immortals cross the sea, showing their magical powers, who can laugh last, remains unknown.

As they say, times create heroes. After the centennial NFL season, the 2020 offseason seems to aptly usher in a perfect opportunity:

Promising timing, geographical advantage, and harmony, everything is just right; this offseason boasts a slew of top player entrants into the Free Market.

Just right, perfect for masters to contest their strategies.

Originally, Mahomes’ contract renewal, Brady and Watt’s transfers had already pushed expectations to a previously unseen peak; subsequent prosperity and clamor of the Free Market can hardly steal the spotlight; but unexpectedly, the entire League is engulfed by the storm of an arms race, completely overwhelmed, the Free Market bursts with astonishing flow in another way, grandly extending the offseason clamor seamlessly.

First up is the quarterback market.

Every year, every season, quarterbacks remain the focus, whether in Free Market or draft s, it’s long been a convention.

Though the quarterbacks in the Free Market now are a familiar bunch, flipping over the same crowd, there’s always new tricks every year, especially this year.

A name that’s both familiar and strange appears: New England Patriots. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

A few years ago, Belichick had already begun preparing for a generational transition, but New England Patriots’ successor Garoppolo didn’t outlast Brady, instead heading for San Francisco. Now with Brady off to Tampa Bay, Belichick’s succession plan declared a failure, falling into a state with no usable quarterbacks.

Undoubtedly, New England Patriots need a quarterback. When they appear among teams competing for quarterbacks in the Free Market, people are neither surprised nor unexpected; the real curiosity lies in: who will Belichick target?

The suspense, entirely rivaling the mystery of Brady’s previous next destination.