And people STILL keep ignoring the fact that the Pats roster had begun to deteriorate during the last half of 2019 as age, injuries, and the cap did its work. Brady was NOT going to win another Superbowl in NE without going through a complete rebuild of the roster. They choose to ignore that in 2020 they paid their starting QB ONE Million dollar as STILL barely made it under the cap in 2020.
So, in the end even if they somehow paid Brady the very reasonable price of $25MM for the next 2 years, the cuts they would have had to make to get under the cap would have FURTHER weakened the thin talent pool they had back then. The 20 year era of the Pats being every year Superbowl contender was over guys and even Brady wasn't going to save it. And why would he want to. WHY would he want to play out his last year or two NOT being on a team with a legit chance of being in contention for a title. It would have been a miracle just to get that roster to the playoffs with that roster, AND the GOAT, and you all know it.
Plus, Brady was done in Boston. His wife didn't want to be here. They had sold their home here the year before. His time with BB had come and gone, so why would Brady want to sign a $25MM deal even if it were possible to be offered to him. Tampa and a great OL, a solid run game, and once Gronk unretired, the best group of WR's and TE's in the league, PLUS an offensive coaching staff he could control. Compared to what the Pats had, there was no contest
So, I wonder why the myth evolved that Brady was chased out by Kraft and BB, rather than the TRUTH, which was simply, it was Brady's best interests to leave the Pats and finish up his career with a team that could compete for championships. NO ONE chased him out of town.
No one chased him out of town huh? It seems like this board has revisionist history and has no idea what was going on behind the scenes since 2014. The dirty laundry was leaking around 2018 (which was dismissed here) and later got aired after Brady's departure/2020 season. Grab your favorite drink, relax in your favorite spot because we're going down memory lane:
BB was already looking for Brady's successor as early as 2014. But you could go back even further to 2009 when they played games with Matt Cassel as insurance to Tom Brady. Cassel made a massive mistake signing his franchise tender giving the Pats full control. That's a story for another day.
Tom House on having a conversation with BB after the 2013 season:
"Belichick called us in and said, 'OK, tell me why I shouldn't trade Tom Brady.' I think at this time Tom was 37 or 36," House said. "And I just said, 'Well the research shows that if Tom does the things that he's supposed to do ... there's no reason he shouldn't play until he's 45."
Tom Brady’s throwing coach, Tom House, recalled an eye-opening interaction he had with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick several years ago about the legendary quarterback.
www.nbcsportsboston.com
BB proceeded to waste a 2nd round pick on Jimmy G for him to play a whopping 6 quarters. Not to mention BB wasted a 3rd round pick after Brady's record breaking season on Kevin O'Connell. That was just flat out stupid. Believe it or not, every player is watching who the team drafts yearly.
The Pats were trying to sign a backup QB (Jimmy G) to an $18M AAV extension to replace Brady:
The Patriots repeatedly offered Garoppolo four-year contract extensions, in the $17 million to $18 million range annually that would go higher if and when he succeeded Brady. Garoppolo and Yee rejected the offers out of hand, for reasons that remain unclear, and the Patriots knew they couldn't make any promises to Garoppolo about the timing of a transition at quarterback without it getting back to Brady."
BB's initial intention was to trade Tom Brady to the 49ers in 2017 before Bob Kraft put an end to it:
"Miller quotes a current director of player personnel as saying, “We were calling Bill once a week, I swear to God, trying to get Jimmy. You might not remember this, but at the time, no one loved the (2018) quarterback class in the draft, and Garoppolo was set to be a free agent. Common sense says you trade him. And Belichick is the best at this — shipping off guys for draft picks — so we thought it would be an easy trade.”
It was, for 49ers GM John Lynch, who filched Garoppolo from New England for a second round pick. But not before Belichick tried to pass Brady onto the 49ers, Miller reports. But Patriots owner Robert Kraft forbade Belichick from offloading the GOAT."
"Brady, Belichick and Kraft haven’t been the same since Tom learned that Bill was ready to get rid of him. And that lit a fire under his (hindquarters).”
The celebrated troika of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft haven’t been the same since Belichick offered Brady to the 49ers, says report.
www.mercurynews.com
It's pretty obvious Tom Brady found out what was going on with Jimmy G. He had a meeting with Kraft and forced him to get rid of Jimmy G:
"Belichick reportedly left an hours-long meeting, during which Kraft issued the mandate: trade Garoppolo because he would not be in the team's long-term plans, and then, once again, find the best quarterback in the draft and develop him. Belichick was furious and demoralized, according to friends."
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft are aiming for a sixth Lombardi trophy. But friction between the coach and star QB could put the future of a dynasty in doubt.
www.espn.com
After the move had been announced, Wickersham reports Brady hugged owner Robert Kraft later that week, “in full view of teammates.”
Throughout his 18 years with the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady says he has “never celebrated when a player was traded or cut.” The five-time Super Bowl champion told WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan Tuesday morning that ESPN’s use of the word “liberated” to describe his feelings following the Jimmy...
www.boston.com
This was short lived because the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl debacle happened where Tom Brady set passing records only to lose the game. This prompted several meetings at Bob Kraft's home because he was concerned Tom and BB's relationship was going south:
"She (Giselle) also pointed out how ridiculous it was that after all these years, Belichick still treated Brady like "f****** Johnny Foxboro." It was bad enough to never voice approval. It was ******** to still be dressing down the most accomplished quarterback in league history during team meetings and treating his personal trainer and best friend like some kind of outcast.
When the conversation shifted to the future, Brady and Bündchen indicated it was time for them to make some changes that were in the best interest of their family. Among other things, they were contemplating a change of scenery."
The meeting didn't go anywhere and Tom initially wanted out after the Eagles Super Bowl loss. Bob had another private conversation with Tom and was willing to let him go:
"Tommy, if you want to go, you can go," Kraft told Brady on a phone call during that time. "
Tom decided to return.
Tom Brady eventually left the Patriots after 20 seasons and six Super Bowl titles, but as Tom E. Curran writes, Brady's exit almost took place two years earlier after a Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.
sports.yahoo.com
They just won a freaking Super Bowl, but posters still seem to be in heavy denial that the 2019 off-season wasn't a complete joke. BB wasn't even trying to maximize Brady's last season. From the disastrous Free agency signing retread after retread where none of the WR's stayed on the team. Giving Josh Gordan another chance when he quit on the team in 2018. Drafting one WR who was a complete doofus, a CB that wasn't needed, a RB that was caught the dreaded "Foxboro" flu gave Tom absolutely nothing to work with that season. After initially being cut, Demaryius Thomas only re-signed with the Pats because he was under the impression he was going to be on the 53 man roster. He was pissed when the bomb dropped on him he was traded to the Jets after AB signed.
"It was disrespectful to me," Thomas said. "Like, you know, you could trust me and I could trust you. You told me when you cut me at the (final) cut, sit around you'll bring me back. And I stayed. I could have easily become a Jet once I got cut. ... I could have been here the next day after I got released. But I chose to stay."
Ahead of Monday night's matchup against his old team, Jets receiver Demaryius Thomas called his stint in New England "a waste of time." The veteran WR didn't appreciate how the Pats handled his trade.
www.nfl.com
Gronk retiring earlier didn't help matters because was also tired of BB. One year prior, he cut communication off with the team after the Eagles loss. BB retaliated by trying to trade him to the Lions.
Rob Gronkowski and Bill Belichick weren't exactly on the same page following the Patriots' loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
www.nbcsportsboston.com
After all that, now the Pats were playing games not wanting to sign Brady to a measly 2 year $50M deal. That was when Tom made a business decision. According to Brian Hoyer, he was under the impression Brady was planning to sit out the season had Kraft not removed the Pats ability to tag him after 2019.
Years later, Kraft admits to Tom Brady Sr. that he made a mistake not re-signing Tom Brady:
"He just said, 'I made a mistake'."
"It appears that the decision to let Brady walk fell 100% on Belichick. According to an ESPN story from mid-January, Kraft was pretty irate after watching Brady win a Lombardi Trophy with another team."
"Bill had told me he couldn't play anymore, and then he goes out and wins the f---ing Super Bowl," Kraft reportedly said back in February 2021."
Robert Kraft laments his decision to let the GOAT get away
www.cbssports.com
Do you see a pattern here? BB has been trying to find ways to push Brady out for years. So when I make a statement like I did in my previous post, I don't say it for absolutely no reason.
