No one could have reasonably predicted that TB would still be this good at 43

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It was clear Bill was skeptical about Brady’s future and also resigned to the fact that the 2019 team went into free fall, so there would be no way to improve the roster with Brady taking a similar salary.

But then he spent a lot of money on Thuney and McCourty, about $25M. This achieved the same cap spend as Brady.

This was definitely pointed out when it happened because I know I was very vocal about it. For $25M you signed two players who are unlikely to move your W/L record a single game instead of a quarterback who moves it 4+ games.

It’s pretty hard to defend BB’s series of moves when viewed together, even if you can defend them separately.

The totality of their signings suggests they were still in win-now mode but thought they were better off without him, as they did absolutely nothing to commit to rebuilding or stockpiling picks but instead signed aging veterans. If it’s true they thought Stidham wouldn’t be much of a step down, that would be a deep arrogance and incompetence, and this comeuppance right now seems appropriate.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Makes no difference. We could have had Brady for $27m cap hit in 2020. That was the point. And we already had $13m in dead cap hit for him. And by forgoing Thuney (who walks now anyway!) we could have kept Brady. Hell we should have traded Thuney for a 2nd after we tagged him.

There is NO evidence to suggest Pats couldn’t have kept Brady. BB didn’t want to. Why is that so hard to acknowledge and accept?

One thing i've noticed about you is you get totally fixated on the woulda, coulda, shoulda and conjure up hypotheticals to make your point while you fail to acknowledge the reality, totality, specifics and of a particular situation. AB, BB, TB12...it's freaking endless and a waste of my and your time to debate and issue.

Fact: Tb12 didn't want to stay here bad enough and BB didn't want him to stay bad enough. Takes two sides to make a deal and it's didn't happen.

Issue over.

 

[Biffins]

One thing i've noticed about you is you get totally fixated on the woulda, coulda, shoulda and conjure up hypotheticals to make your point while you fail to acknowledge the reality, totality, specifics and of a particular situation. AB, BB, TB12...it's freaking endless and a waste of my and your time to debate and issue.

Fact: Tb12 didn't want to stay here bad enough and BB didn't want him to stay bad enough. Takes two sides to make a deal and it's didn't happen.

Issue over.

Come on mate. there are no hypotheticals here. There is NO indication that keep Brady was an issue $ wise. We just didn't want to.

Fact: TB did want to stay here. You are wrong. This has been proved and shown from insiders with knowledge of Brady's camp.

Fact: BB didn't want Brady here. In fact he wanted to shift Brady when JG was here let alone now. And he didn't call or talk to Brady all offseason.

Fact: BB pushed Brady out.

Fact: BB has egg on his face from his horrible decision as GM

Fact: Brady has taken a perennial loser to the Superbowl and has as many NFC Conf Championship rings as Brees or Rodgers.

Glad we're dealing in only facts.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Come on mate. there are no hypotheticals here. There is NO indication that keep Brady was an issue $ wise. We just didn't want to.

Fact: TB did want to stay here. You are wrong. This has been proved and shown from insiders with knowledge of Brady's camp.

Fact: BB didn't want Brady here. In fact he wanted to shift Brady when JG was here let alone now. And he didn't call or talk to Brady all offseason.

Fact: BB pushed Brady out.

Fact: BB has egg on his face from his horrible decision as GM

Fact: Brady has taken a perennial loser to the Superbowl and has as many NFC Conf Championship rings as Brees or Rodgers.

Glad we're dealing in only facts.

Insiders? Inside Brady's camp? I see....

Saying there was cap space is not a fact.

Tom *****ing and complaining is a fact.

BB being ambivalent over Tom staying/going is a fact.

Your facts are speculation to fit your narrative.

 

[sean10mm]

To me it's totally forgivable in 2019 to think that Brady finally stops being Brady in 2020, whether it's playing for the Pats or somebody else. A starting QB at 43 being not just OK but elite is just absurd.

But if you make that assumption, then how do you have no serious transition plan at QB already in hand? How do you put all your eggs in the Stidham basket (lol) and then panic-sign Cam's rotting corpse because you suddenly realized Stid is even worse than THAT?

 

[sb1]

To me it's totally forgivable in 2019 to think that Brady finally stops being Brady in 2020, whether it's playing for the Pats or somebody else. A starting QB at 43 being not just OK but elite is just absurd.

But if you make that assumption, then how do you have no serious transition plan at QB already in hand? How do you put all your eggs in the Stidham basket (lol) and then panic-sign Cam's rotting corpse because you suddenly realized Stid is even worse than THAT?

There was no plan to transition from JG either. I believe JG was the plan to move on from Brady all along. Then because of circumstances he gets sent packing - turning that role over to Hoyer and Pick Six Stidham. Yikes.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Insiders? Inside Brady's camp? I see....

Saying there was cap space is not a fact.

Tom *****ing and complaining is a fact.

BB being ambivalent over Tom staying/going is a fact.

Your facts are speculation to fit your narrative.

I agree with most of what you’re saying about the team and Brady wanting to go their separate ways by February 2020, and that by then, it was too late to send flowers. How it got to that point...I think almost every media report meshes with the basic idea that the Patriots were skeptical of Brady playing at a high level and extending him 2-3 years out. There were lots of other factors in the relationship souring, but there are always things behind the scenes with labor/management and I bet life was rarely perfect between Brady and Belichick.

Occam’s Razor: the team thought Brady was done or done soon; Brady didn’t think so. That is the primary cause of the rift and breakup, though it can manifest in other ways too (Guerrero, respect, etc.)

By the time that conflict reached it’s breaking point - 2019/2020 - the team was no longer in a position to offer him the best chance to win anyway, adding another layer of incompatibility. If they’d been as competitive as always in 2019 and not coming apart at the seems, it would be really interesting to see how the negotiations played out. I don’t know if he would have re-signed, but I think it would be a down-to-the-wire decision.

In terms of the cap, sure they could have fit Brady in there even with the initial 13.5M hit they took for not extending him before free agency...but if they were going to extend him, they never would gotten to the point of a 13.5M hit. The salary cap is a red herring here. The Patriots salary cap situation didn’t prevent the Patriots from re-signing Brady.

Theoretically, the Patriots take that 13.5M hit and the next day Patrick Mahomes becomes a free agent and wants a 2-year deal for $50M. I’m quite sure the team would find a way to clear space and sign him.