New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has provided few details on the departure of Tom Brady, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency in 2020. It’s not a total mystery why Brady left.
There were obvious reasons that outsiders can piece together, even if the quarterback and coach never confirmed them. In free agency, Brady found better teams, like the Bucs who were stocked with talent. The Patriots also had salary cap constraints, and it’s likely New England didn’t have the space — even after adjusting other contracts on the team — to compete with what Brady earned on the market. New England also didn’t have the money to restock a depth chart that was woefully undermanned.
But with the Patriots and Buccaneers set to match up on Sunday, this week will be about revisiting that breakup.
“Well, I think we’ve been through all of the dynamics of that,” Belichick said during an appearance on WEEI on Monday morning. “There were a lot of things there — he looked at his options and made his decision. We weren’t as good of an option as Tampa. You’d have to ask him about all that, but it wasn’t a question of not wanting him that’s for sure.”
Belichick told WEEI he felt his relationship with Brady “never changed,” not even in the final years when multiple reports indicated there was growing tension between the two stars.
“Tom and I had I feel like a good relationship and a lot of production, obviously while we were together,” he told WEEI. “I enjoyed coaching Tom. He was a great player for us. Sunday night we line up across from Tampa and not just him, but the entire team. They are obviously a very good team, so that’s all about our team competing against Tampa’s team.”
[listicle id=110377]