Well Tom Brady thank the team but.. not Bill
*The Patriots couldn’t offer much receiving help:
Rob Gronkowski retired before the 2019 season. Josh Gordon was injured, then released, and then eventually suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Antonio Brown’s tenure in New England lasted one game.
All this led to a vacuum of talent downfield and contributed to one of Brady’s least efficient seasons. Julian Edelman was his typically useful self, but the rest of the receiving corps couldn’t keep up. Belichick spent a 2019 first-round pick on N’Keal Harry and traded a 2020 second-rounder to the Falcons for Mohamed Sanu. Both struggled through injuries and the adjustment to the Patriot passing game. They combined for 38 catches (on 71 targets) and 312 yards in 15 games between them.
Somehow, that was roughly as productive as the club’s ENTIRE post-Gronk TE corps. Four players — Ben Watson, Ryan Izzo, Matt LaCosse, and Eric Tomlinson — teamed up for 37 receptions last fall.
Leaving New England frees Brady to pair with the kind of wideouts and tight ends who can help revive his career. The Buccaneers can offer him quite possibly the league’s top 1-2 punch between Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Chargers have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. The Colts — yes, his former arch rival — could provide the services of T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle if so inclined.
No matter where Brady goes, he’ll almost certainly end up with an upgrade when it comes to whomever’s catching his passes.
*The Patriots are unable to give the contract he's asking for:
Brady had followers in free agency. The Buccaneers, Raiders, and Chargers were all rumored to be pitching him. Tampa Bay, in particular, is primed to offer the massive contract and supporting cast New England could not.
Reports that swirled around the Patriots’ camp, however, mostly suggested Belichick was reticent to make a top-of-the-market offer to retain the two-time MVP. One local source said the team was only willing to give him a one-year deal. Others suggested that while it was willing to top $30 million per year in compensation, New England wouldn’t offer the same three- or four-year contract length other teams may have brought to the bargaining table. That last part may have been the sticking point for an aging, but still above-average QB facing an uncertain future.
Brady reportedly made it clear he wasn’t going to take a hometown discount to stay with the Patriots in 2020. Recent signings in Las Vegas (Marcus Mariota) and Tennessee (Ryan Tannehill) may have narrowed down his list of interested franchise — though don’t count out the Raiders yet. Still, appears there’s still at least one team eager enough to bring the legendary quarterback to town that it would dole out top-shelf money to keep him under contract through his age-45 season.
* He’s creating a new franchise for his brand
Brady is a revered character in New England and a bonafide legend. He’s worked hard to extend his impact off the field, be it through endorsements, acting gigs (well, if playing “Tom Brady” counts as acting), a newly founded production company, and his wellness brand.
While the Patriots didn’t seem to have an issue with the first two, Brady’s TB12 Sports startup has been a contentious point between the QB and his team. There have been multiple instances where Brady’s personal trainer Alex Guerrero has clashed with team trainers when it comes to recovery plans for both the quarterback and other members of the New England roster. Guerrero even lost clubhouse privileges with the franchise back in 2017, leading Belichick to clearly state he was “not a member of the organization.”
If Brady wants to build that brand, he may seek out a new employer willing to welcome Guerrero in a way the Patriots did not. After writing a New York Times best-seller on fitness, wellness, and flexibility, “lifestyle guru” may be the clearest, most lucrative career path once Touchdown Tom stops throwing touchdowns.
He knows he can strengthen that brand by proving he’s still a spry quarterback in his 40s. If he believes Guerrero is the key to that longevity he may find a landing spot where the occasionally controversial, holistic medicine devotee is welcomed rather than cast aside.
It’s not entirely clear why Brady is leaving the Patriots after two decades, but there are a few looming reasons that likely factored into his decision.
Cash and contracts may play a role, but Brady’s earned more than $235 million in his playing career alone. His wife, international supermodel Gisele Bundchen, “earns a lot of money” in Brady’s words — perhaps even more than he does.
It’s possible he wants to feel a new wave of respect and adulation somewhere else, all the while knowing he’ll be a hero in New England no matter what his next steps on the field are. Maybe he feels like he has something to prove when it comes to winning a battle against time, and he needs his trusted trainer to have 100 percent access to his gridiron future. Or maybe he’s just tired of the grind and wants a senioritis victory lap that comes with $60 million guaranteed.
All are good reasons, and we may never truly know what combination of factors led Brady to this decision. All we know is that he’s not coming back to the New England Patriots.
