Brate would've 'had to retire' had he dropped Lombardi pass

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (left), quarterback Ryan Griffin (middle) and tight end Cameron Brate (right) after a boat parade to celebrate victory in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron Brate jokes he would've 'had to retire' had he dropped Tom Brady Lombardi Trophy pass

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/11/21

Members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the time of their lives on Wednesday afternoon celebrating their Super Bowl LV triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Arguably the top highlight of the memorable boat parade involved seven-time champion and five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Tom Brady passing the Vince Lombardi Trophy from his boat to one that carried several individuals, including Tampa Bay tight end Cameron Brate.

Still trying to get over Tom Brady launching the Lombardi Trophy!

(via @TomBrady) pic.twitter.com/qpNdv7F5da
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) February 11, 2021

Brate, fortunately, made the reception and, thus, was able to joke about the matter following his last heroics of the season.

"If I had dropped that? I think I would've had to retire," Brate said of the pass seen all over social media, as noted by Kevin Patra of the NFL's official website. "That was amazing. He pointed it at me. We talked about it earlier. It was a great throw. I mean, what do you expect from Tom Brady? A great throw."

Brady made plenty of great throws during his first year with the Buccaneers, as the 43-year-old tossed 40 regular-season touchdowns and then connected for 10 additional scores during the playoffs.

As for Tampa Bay, Brady, head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht have all vowed the Bucs are going for a repeat. With Brady dropping dimes even when throwing trophies, one may not want to bet against the reigning champs.

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