"There were things about the Bucs’ program that frustrated him" - NFL insider reveals Tom Brady had issues with team ahead of retiring
Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL nearly three weeks ago, putting an end to his 22-year career in the league where he reigned supreme, winning seven Super Bowl rings in the process.
He spent 20 of those years in New England with the Patriots before moving to Tampa Bay for the final two years of his career. According to one NFL insider, it was his time at the Buccaneers that may have accelerated his decision to retire.
Writing for Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer believes there were differences between Brady and Bucs head coach Bruce Arians that caused the future Hall of Fame quarterback frustration.
"I don’t know that Tom Brady has any issue directly with Bruce Arians," Breer stated. "But I have heard there were things about the Bucs’ program that frustrated him (which might be natural, considering how tight a ship he was coming from when he got to Tampa)."
Now, the five-time Super Bowl MVP hasn't openly said anything negative about the Bucs' program, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich or head coach Bruce Arians. Brady's former teammate, offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, detailed issues between the two.
Ohrnberger stated that Leftwich and the quarterback were responsible for the offensive gameplan and that they felt resentment towards Arians when he changed the plan they had prepared while the head coach was recovering from an Achilles injury.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers handling of 3x NFL MVP, 7x Super Bowl Champion Quarterback Tom Brady…
Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich and Tom Brady were reportedly responsible for the entirety of the offensive game plan.
Per my earlier report, Head Coach Bruce Arians would at times take red pen to that offensive plan… figuratively speaking, of course.
There were apparently major disagreements between Leftwich and Brady on strategy, especially regarding the run game.
At a certain point during the 2021 season, Brady successfully seized control of the offensive game plan, adjusting play calls he didn’t believe would work.
Additionally, there was a feeling of resentment inside the building toward Arians.
While others worked around the clock in Tampa to build a winner, Head Football Coach Bruce Arians had a much lighter work schedule.
…per multiple impregnable sources.
Arians, of course, has had his say on the matter, and he did not agree with what was reported.
Speaking to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Arians said of Ohrnberger's report, "This other bulls---, the relationship thing, that’s so far-fetched. I mean, that’s such bulls---‚ that’s what pisses me off. I guess probably Byron [Leftwich] could corroborate this, too.’’
It's safe to say that Arians feels that his relationship with Brady was strong and by no means caused the quarterback to retire.
Bucs’ Arians lashes out at report, denies any rift with Brady tampabay.com/sports/bucs/20…
What next for Tom Brady now that he has officially retired from the NFL?
The 44-year-old enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2021 from a statistical perspective, completing 67.5 percent of his passes and leading the league with 485 completions; 5,316 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns.
However, he decided to call it a day and hang up his cleats in order to focus on other aspects of his life. There have been rumors, particularly from those who have played with him, that he will make a shock return to the league next year, but for now his focus will be on his family, his business ventures and possibly even the broadcast booth in 2022.