New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s approach will apparently stay the same as he heads into what could be his final regular season game with the franchise where he’s worked for his entire NFL career.
Brady is slated to enter free agency this offseason. It’s entirely possible that Brady and the Patriots agree to terms on an extension before the quarterback hits the open market. It’s also possible that Brady walks. He was asked whether that uncertainty changes anything for him.
“I would say no different than I’ve approached it for the last 20 years,” Brady said on Friday during a press conference. “Try to do the best I can do and help our team win, be a great player and have a winning attitude. Try to bring it to the field.”
The Patriots have a history of moving on from players, like current and former stars Richard Seymour, Lawyer Milloy, Wes Welker, Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. Bill Belichick’s history as a personnel manager is brutally pragmatic. He doesn’t keep players longer than he should — he parts ways with them a year too early, rather than a year too late.
The question is whether Brady, 42, will be an exception to that rule.
The quarterback has never played on an expiring contract — this is entirely new territory for him and Belichick. Though, the team’s succession plan isn’t exactly clear. They drafted quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but he’s barely played in his first season. Only the Patriots’ coaching staff knows his level of readiness to contribute at the NFL level. If Stidham isn’t the answer, the Patriots could look to the draft or to free agency. But we may be getting ahead of ourselves. Brady has been proclaimed dead on multiple occasions during his career — only to go on to win Super Bowls. We’ve seen players like Jimmy Garoppolo earn a title as the heir apparent, only to see them move on to a different franchise. History has shown it’s unwise to doubt Brady’s staying power.
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