It’s easy to imagine New England Patriots fans were hoping for a pleasant surprise last week — the return of Tom Brady. Instead there was bad news: Brady decided to head to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There were and are bigger things to worry about in the world. But Brady’s decision was, of course, a downer during New England’s free agency flurry. New England has made a habit of letting high profile players leave. No departure has ever been as big as Brady.
Brady was the face of the Patriots for 20 years and nine Super Bowl appearances with six wins. He’s long been the king of Boston — and all of New England. In 2020, however, he’s going to wear a different jersey. Here are eight thoughts on his departure.
1. Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. Nothing will change his legacy in New England.
Not that this needs restating, but I’ll restate it anyway.
He will be the most accomplished athlete in Boston sports history, in all likelihood. Brady’s six Super Bowls are a staggering achievement. My soon-to-be uncle-in-law mentioned something interesting about Keith Richards. He was once asked what a 70-year-old rockstar looks like. He responded: Let’s find out. That has been what is most fascinating element of Brady’s final years — not only was he pushing the boundaries in the record book for a quarterback, but he was also doing it at an age when a quarterback hadn’t even served as a starter in 16 regular season games.