Bill Belichick seems to be giving Tom Brady the same tough love he gives every New England Patriots pending free agent. When it’s time to negotiate contracts, Belichick is all business, and he works with a special brand of ruthlessness.
Considering the Patriots and Brady have reportedly had extremely limited contact, Belichick seems to be doing the same thing he always does. The message is that Brady is just like everyone else. In this case, Belichick is barely speaking to Brady, which seems to be irking the Patriots quarterback.
But the effect might be a net-negative for New England. Belichick’s tough love might be enough to drive away Brady, according to former Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib.
“…If he’s (Belichick) treating everybody the same in the meeting room, he’s probably treating everybody the same around free agency time as well,” Talib said on NFL Network. “I think Tom is gone. I think it’s a done deal and Bill is going to be Bill. Them calls are going to be short and to the point. We got a report that said it didn’t go well. I had a call that didn’t go well with Bill before, so I can imagine what happened on that call.”
Talib added: “It’s kind of a chip on both of their shoulders that’s like, ‘I want to do this thing and see if I could do it without him.’”
Then what? Where would Brady go?
It’s unclear what kind of market would materialize for Brady. He’s a six-time Super Bowl champion with three NFL MVP trophies. But he’ll also be 43 when the 2020 season begins, and he’s coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career.
So in a sense, an NFL team will be taking a risk on Brady, whose longevity is unprecedented. It’s possible the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders enter the mix for Brady. Even with Talib looking pessimistically at the situation, the Patriots obviously shouldn’t be discounted.
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