Tom Brady’s first scheduled appearance with Buccaneers is in Pittsburgh vs. Steelers

He probably won’t play, and he perhaps might not even put on a uniform. For that matter, the game might not even be played.

But, as things stand now, Tom Brady’s first game of any sort for somebody other than the New England Patriots in 21 years is scheduled to be at Heinz Field.

Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers are to open their preseason at the Pittsburgh Steelers. The kickoff time and exact date have yet to be determined; the first week of the preseason games is Aug. 13-17. Brady, 42, signed with the Bucs in March after winning six Super Bowls over 20 seasons with New England.

“To picture Tom Brady in a new uniform was hard to believe,” Bruce Gradkowski said, “almost like Peyton Manning in Denver.” https://t.co/FIx5vI7e3N

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 19, 2020

In the modern NFL, veterans rarely play in the first preseason game — let alone a then-43-year-old future Hall of Famer. And the ongoing coronavirus pandemic leaves the entire NFL schedule that was released Thursday in the category of “tentative.” And for no games is that moreso than the start of the preseason.

Still, if the game is played, it will be the first time Brady will be seen in a game setting as a member of the Bucs. Tampa Bay is coached by former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

The Steelers are scheduled to open their preseason a week earlier against the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio.

The Steelers’ other preseason home game is a nationally televised Sunday night game against the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 23. They then will play at the New York Jets in preseason Week 3, two weeks before they open their regular season at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.

The annual preseason-ending, Thursday game against the Carolina Panthers will be in Charlotte for the second consecutive year (Sept. 3).

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