Longtime New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's 20-year career in Foxboro is about to come to an end.
The 42-year-old veteran issued a statement on his Twitter and Instagram accounts on Tuesday saying that he will not return to the Patriots for the 2020 season.
LOVE YOU PATS NATION pic.twitter.com/lxSQZmnjPL
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady)
March 17, 2020 Brady began his career in New England when the Patriots selected him as the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. In 285 career games with the Patriots, Brady ended up going 219-64 in 283 starts while completing 63.8% of his passes (6,377 for 9,988) for 74,571 yards, 541 touchdowns and 179 interceptions.
Brady leaves a lasting legacy in New England with six Super Bowl victories in his 20 seasons. In terms of all-time NFL records, Brady ranks second in passing yards, pass completions and touchdowns, all behind New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
This past season possibly showed some signs that Brady is slowing down at his age with just 60.8% of his passes being completed, while also throwing for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns. While the Patriots ended up finishing the season with a 12-4 record and an AFC East title, the team was upset in the AFC Wild Card Round with a 20-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium.
Whenever the Patriots played the Buffalo Bills, Brady had his greatest success facing his AFC East rival, going 32-3 in 35 career games, while completing 64.0% of his passes for 8,669 yards, 70 touchdowns and just 25 interceptions.
According to multiple reports, it seems like the two teams who are the most interested in signing Brady once the new league year opens on Wednesday remains the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Chargers. However, it doesn't seem like any decision on Brady's future will come any time soon.
Multiple teams remain in pursuit of Tom Brady and an announcement on his new team is “not likely” to come today, per source. The #Bucs and #Chargers remain in the mix. Sounds like the plan now is for Brady to go dark on everyone until he makes his decision.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero)
March 17, 2020 The NFL's "legal tampering period" continues on Tuesday and through Wednesday afternoon when teams can officially make trades and signing official at 4 p.m.
