During his weekly appearance with Gresh & Keefe this week, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport rehashed the events leading to Tom Brady leaving the Patriots and signing with Tampa Bay following the 2019 season.
Included in Rapoport's discussion was the Patriots not wanting to guarantee two years when they gave him a new deal prior to the 2019 season, which was essentially just a raise.
“To my knowledge, based on everything that I have heard in all the people I have spoken with, there was not an official offer (following the 2019 season)," he said. "I don’t believe there was an official offer. I’m sure this is debated and I know a couple of things: The Patriots wanted Tom Brady back. They definitely wanted Tom Brady back. They would have paid him. As far as overall salary, similar to what the Bucs paid him, which is I think at that point, it was two years, up to $60 million. And I believe the Patriots would have done that and probably a little more. Would they have guaranteed two years? I highly doubt it. But it doesn’t matter because I don’t believe there was ever an official offer."
Rapoport also shared what happened the night Brady went to Robert Kraft's house to say he was leaving the team.
"… I think what I believed at the time, was told at the time, was that they wanted Brady to say, ‘I want to be here, offer me’ and that kind of never happened because it didn’t happen," he said. "So, when he showed up at Robert Kraft’s house I don’t believe anyone in the organization knew what he was going to say. It could have been, ‘Alright guys, I want to come back. Let’s do this.’ Instead, it was the opposite.”
Brady will return to New England for the first time this Sunday night where his Bucs come into the game 2-1.
