NFL: Why did Tom Brady leave the Patriots?
Tom Brady played quarterback for the New England Patriots for 20 years and had a successful run; arguably more successful than any quarterback has ever had with any NFL team.
Brady would win six Super Bowl championships with the Patriots and build a Hall of Fame resume. Head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady put together a dynasty in New England, and it all came crashing down in the 2020 NFL offseason.
What caused the separation between Tom Brady and the Patriots?
There has been a lot of rumors that surround the reasoning behind why Tom Brady walked away from the New England Patriots. Three of the rumors seem to be more true than others. Lets take a look at the three rumors and how they seem to be true.
1. The Jimmy Garoppolo Situation
The New England Patriots would draft Jimmy Garoppolo to be the replacement for Tom Brady whenever he retired. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was 100 percent dedicated to Brady. Kraft went on record saying that Tom Brady will play for New England and be the starting quarterback for as long as Brady wanted.
This rubbed Belichick the wrong way. Belichick was high on Garoppolo and was ready to start moving off Tom Brady. It was rumored that Belichick and Kraft had a meeting that took a whole day discussing the Garoppolo and Brady situation.
In the end, owner Robert Kraft got what he wanted and Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. This made Belichick furious because he had high hopes for the young quarterback. Since the Garoppolo trade many players said the relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick went rocky.
2. Belichick and Brady's business relationship
Tom Brady wanted to have more of a personal relationship with his head coach, but that never happened. Brady has said that he could not remember ever having dinner or lunch with Belichick. He also said that when it came to football, Belichick flipped a switch and never had fun.
Belichick had a no-nonsense style of coaching, which made the Patriots very successful. It was noticed that this style had worn Tom Brady down and started to impact his passion for football. The only time that Brady and Belichick spent time together off the football field was on their three-day golfing trip.
In the end, Tom Brady felt that he knew nothing about his coach. He felt that he was playing for two different people. There was Belichick on the field and Belichick off the field. Brady never saw Belichick off the field because Bill never gave him the opportunity.
3. Tom Brady's contract
It was well-known that Tom Brady wanted to play deep into his 40's. When Brady sat down with the Patriots during the 2020 offseason, it did not go as planned. Tom Brady wanted to sign a multi-year deal with the Patriots.
Also Read: What is Tom Brady’s contract breakdown?
The problem entered when Belichick did not feel comfortable about signing Brady to a multi-year deal. Belichick wanted to keep Tom Brady on a series of one-year contracts. This rubbed Brady the wrong way and made him feel that the coach did not have faith in him.
The relationship between Brady and Belichick did not end horribly, but it also didn't end very smooth. The two future Hall of Famers have a mutual respect for each other. Ultimately, the lack of years and commitment was the reasoning to why Tom Brady left New England and headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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