Hammer, meet nail.
I can't help but think Tom is butthurt about not getting a long term deal last year after all he's done. Bill, ever the pragmatist, looks at it as Tom is 43, and we must go year to year. Therein lies the rub. Bill gets that players get older, and he has to keep moving forward if they are going to succeed. He can pay someone in that position 50% of Tom's salary and get 75-80% of the production. He can spread the remaining money around and keep the team relevant and give them a chance to compete at the highest level. He's done this with everyone prior to Tom, and it's no different with Tom's situation, no matter how much we all wish it wasn't the case.
I think if there was no cap, they woulda paid Brady whatever he wanted and said thank you for all you've done. But the NFL doesn't work that way. There's a cap and that keeps Bill's hands, Kraft's wallet, in check.
The Patriots system works. It's hard for us fans who love players and wish they'd stay (Milloy, Willie, Seymour, ect.), but the cold harsh facts are this is what the Pats do, and it's what made them successful. In this case, we are talking about the greatest player to play the game, and it's gonna suck to see him (maybe) in another uniform. But, the Patriots will go on, and they will be competitive, because their system works. To your point, RW, you are correct, we aren't losing a 34 year old Tom Brady, at the height of his powers. This still sucks, however.
Two years from now, they will erect a statue of him out from of the PHoF. None of us are going to care about all this once that day comes.