For the first time in his 20-year NFL career, Tom Brady has the potential to play somewhere besides the Patriots next season.
When making big decisions (not just in football) it’s always difficult to actually pull the trigger and leave something so familiar for a big change, which is why we believe Brady will ultimately return to the Patriots, but it truly would serve Brady best to leave New England and play for a new team.
From Brady’s perspective, what real sense does it make to return to New England?
The quarterback has always looked to find things to motivate and drive him, especially the last few years of his career. Right now, it seems to be Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization not committing and believing in him. This was evident again by the reports this week of he and Belichick speaking recently and it not going well.
By returning to the Patriots and playing well that would also benefit Belichick and the team, so what good is that?
Also, expectations are so high with the Patriots.
Given the long, sustained run of success in New England, anything but a trip to the AFC title game is considered a failure. It’s hard to imagine the offense going from what it was in 2019 to an elite unit in 2020, so wouldn’t there be even more pressure on Brady to perform and get the team deep into the playoffs?
On the flip side, things are different virtually anywhere Brady goes. If he goes to a team that hasn’t been very successful lately, parades could be thrown for just getting to the postseason. Even if he goes to a team that has proven it can win and he doesn’t succeed like he’s expected to, he can just play the card of how hard it is for a 43-year-old to go to a new team, learn a new system and expect to win right away.
Playing somewhere besides New England also gives Brady the chance to truly use his doubters to drive and motivate him. The last few years Brady hasn’t seemed to enjoy playing in New England, so what would actually change in 2020?
One way to get rejuvenated would be to play somewhere else and prove to the world that he doesn’t need Belichick to win, and despite approaching his mid-40s he can win with a new team and a new system.
Similar to Jimmy Garoppolo giving Brady life when he was selected in the 2014 draft, going to a new team in 2020 could have similar effects. Even with a below year numbers-wise in 2019, it wasn’t horrific and there was no evidence that he was losing it all together. Starting fresh with a new team and having the mindset of sticking it to Belichick and everyone else who doesn’t believe in him could be just what he needs to be an even better quarterback than he’s been the last several years.
Even with a roster that isn’t elite, but is competitive, the potential is certainly there for Brady to win.
With all that staring Brady in the face, actually committing to leaving the Patriots and signing a deal to play for another team will be the hardest decision he’s ever had to make. And the same goes for Belichick actually going through with life without Brady and having an unknown at the quarterback position for the first time in 20 years.
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