Tom Brady sent shockwaves through the football world on Tuesday morning when he announced that he will be leaving the Patriots in free agency. At this moment, no one knows where Brady will land – reportedly, that includes the quarterback himself. The Buccaneers and Chargers have reportedly made strong offers to the future Hall of Famer, but, at this stage, anything is possible. 
There was “no tangible effort” by the Patriots to retain their franchise star, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports (Twitter link) hears. In fact, there were no negotiations – the Patriots felt that the onus was on Brady to let them know what he was looking for. Brady took offense to that stance and decided to move on.
Now, owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick will have the unenviable task of replacing him. After Brady’s announcement, they each issued statements to thank the NFL legend.
Robert Kraft:
“How do I possibly sum up the depth of my gratitude to Tom Brady for what he’s given us these past 20 years, or the sadness I feel knowing it’s ending? I love Tom like a son and I always will. He has brought so much happiness to me personally and to all of our fans. I had hoped this day would never come, but rather that Tom would end his remarkable career in a Patriots uniform after yet another Super Bowl championship. Unfortunately, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement to allow that dream to become a reality. While sad today, the overwhelming feeling I have is appreciation for his countless contributions to our team and community.
When Tom arrived in New England as an unheralded, sixth-round pick, no one could have imagined the fairytale story that would be written, the records that would be broken or the joy he would bring to an entire region. He leaves 20 years later as the winningest quarterback in NFL history with six Super Bowl victories, nine AFC titles and 17 division championships. He has been an exemplary teammate and leader. There simply will never be another Tom Brady. I now look forward to the day we can bring him back home to New England to celebrate his Patriots career, his endless achievements and his legacy as the greatest of all time. I love him very much.”
“Tom was not just a player who bought into our program. He was one of its original creators. Tom lived and perpetuated our culture. On a daily basis, he was a tone setter and a bar raiser. He won championships in three of his first four years on the field and in three of his final six seasons with us, while competing for championships in most every season in between. This is a credit to Tom’s consistency and what separates him. He didn’t just perform. He didn’t just win. He won championships over and over again.
Tom and I will always have a great relationship built on love, admiration, respect and appreciation. Tom’s success as a player and his character as a person are exceptional. Nothing about the end of Tom’s Patriots career changes how unfathomably spectacular it was. With his relentless competitiveness and longevity, he earned everyone’s adoration and will be celebrated forever. It has been a privilege to coach Tom Brady for 20 years.
Examples of Tom’s greatness are limitless, going back even before he was drafted. We witnessed how he prepared when he wasn’t playing, how he performed when he got his opportunity, what he did to continuously improve, his leadership, his mindset, the example he set, and, of course, the person he is. I am extremely grateful for what he did for our team and for me personally.
Sometimes in life, it takes some time to pass before truly appreciating something or someone but that has not been the case with Tom. He is a special person and the greatest quarterback of all-time.”
Kraft “ allowed “ Tom to be free.
so i assume Kraft picked BB over TB but sounds to me that he was not happy about being in the situation.
HORRIBLE!
Pathetic display by Craft ,might well add BB to that list also.
Dude, it’s Kraft…..
It was always going to end this way. Montana, Favre, Manning, now Brady. The last years are always tough & with Brady demanding to be paid 30 to 35 million, to show him “respect” was a ridiculous ask. He doesn’t need the money & decided that getting paid was more important. He should have retired but just like all the great ones, they think they can still play so they pursue it. Montana got to the playoffs and Manning won a SB looking like crap. Favre looked horrible and now we get to see if Brady can win or look like a shell.
He doesn’t need the money but at the same time he took pay cuts nearly every year of his career to give NE a better chance of winning. If he wants to be paid, he deserves to go get paid.
And if they don’t want to pay him then they deserve the opportunity to not pay him. He’s been paid handsomely. He chose to sign those previous contracts. Ownership chose to pay him those contracts. Now ownership is choosing not to pay him what he wants, and he’s choosing not to play for them. Both sides made choices. No one’s at fault. It was just time to move on.
What if he leaves the NFL to play baseball?
How about the Fish? Give Tua a year to develop or even stick with Rosen as a backup and draft a linesman to replace Tunsil.
Dolphins are mammals not fish
Badda Bing!
I had Fins trading for Cam at the end of last year, bc they have so much draft capital. But if Miami can sign Brady for 2-3 years and surround him with some familiar faces on the OL , while keeping all of their draft capital, they will have an incredibly quick turnaround if they draft right.
Kraft was really hoping for a happy ending on this
hahahahaha
He was tired of being jerked around by Brady.
But by others?
No happy ending this time…..
The dumbest part of the Patriots not reupping him is the 13.5M dead money. They have no cap space as is. Any QB they would get will cost whatever contract they get + 13.5M that’s the real cost of the NE QB in 2020/21. You may see them go Stidham for 1 season simply bc they have no money to spend on a QB.
No money to upgrade the offense, no money to retain key defenders. They really screwed the pooch.
Now, working out a multi year deal with Tom is risky so I see both sides. Y2Y was their only real option.
Look for Patriots to do something unconventional to find replacement for Brady. I would not be surprised for example if they sign PJ Walker and/or Jordan Ta’amu who were the best qb’s in the XFL. I also wonder if Browns new head coach would prefer Case Keenum to run his offense than Baker Mayfield which might put Mayfield in play.
Never count out BB…..
i always thought that NE operated well under the cap since they basically never PAID anyone ….
The new CBA lets the Pats split that dead money cap hit over 2 years regardless if Brady signed or not
Probably won’t happen, but a dark horse here could be the Bears. He’d be the ideal starter/mentor for Trubisky. Remember how shocked everyone was when Pace pulled off the Mack deal? And Pace has do to something dramatic to save his job after missing on Watson/Mahomes and dumping his second first round pick in 4 years. (Floyd, White)
It’s not pathetic If BB finds a way to win a lot of games with Stidham or whoever. His history is to move on from a player a year or two early so no different w/Brady. Certainly will be interesting to see how this all plays out but Stidham and whoever else will be happy to have the chance.
It’s a business. Who give a sh*t? This doesn’t affect my life one way or the other. Yes, I was genetically born a Pats & Sox fan, but all life has ups and downs. The tide come in and always goes back out.
Always thought he was going to leave….
Chargers seem like a great fit.
They can work out a contract extension for Trai Turner, draft Andrew Thomas in the top 10, then combine that with Mike Pouncey and Lamp you have a fairly solid Line.
As for weapons for Brady, you have Ekeler at RB, Allen and Williams at WR and Henry at TE.
Then on defence you have the likes of Bosa, Ingram, Tillery, Hayward, James, Phillips and King.
Maybe I’ll put the rest of the team with some nice cheap back ups towards the end of free agency.
Carlos Hyde would be handy, and Nate Ebner would be nice.
I can’t get very excited about this news. As long as Goodell and Kraft are in place, the Patriots will have an advantage, regardless of who lines up behind center.