For far too long, we took for granted that Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots would agree to an extension for the quarterback to stick around for 2020.
How could Brady possibly play anywhere else? Why would Brady leave?
The idea of Brady finishing in New England is romantic. It’s clean and concise. It ties a ribbon and bow on Brady’s storied career. But football isn’t a fairy tale. The situation was and is complicated.
Brady reportedly included a clause in his contract to prevent the Patriots from franchise tagging him. The quarterback and his business partner, Alex Guerrero, both put their Massachusetts houses on the market for sale. Belichick may not want to pay Brady the market rate for a top quarterback, because, while he’s the G.O.A.T, he’s also 42 years old and is showing signs of decline.
And perhaps there is an even deeper layer of complication. Perhaps we’re taking for granted that Belichick will stay in New England for 2020. Little is known about the terms of the coach’s contract. But as crazy as it sounds, perhaps the Patriots coach would consider his options as a free agent, just like Brady — especially if Patriots owner Robert Kraft begins to nudge Belichick to re-sign Brady, who is like a son to Kraft.
On Sunday, following the Patriots 20-13 loss to the Titans in the Wild Card round, Belichick rejected a question about his plans on coaching in New England in 2020.
“I’ve just answered all these questions. All the future questions are the future. We’re less than 12 hours after the game,” he said. “I think anybody that’s competitive and has been in this type of situation, all your focus is on the game. It’s not on something else. Hopefully, you can respect that, but if you can’t, then I’ve done the best I can to explain it. I’m sorry. It’s as simple as that.”
Belichick has never liked giving up power as general manager. While he appreciates help and support from his staff, he makes the finals decisions. But he’s never made a decision as drastic as moving on from Brady would be.
If Brady proves a point of contention between Kraft and Belichick, then perhaps Brady will win a power struggle, much like he did in 2017. That’s when Belichick was mulling a transition to Jimmy Garoppolo, but instead Kraft instructed Belichick to trade the young quarterback, according to ESPN. If Kraft sides with Brady again, Belichick might decide to move on from the Patriots and win elsewhere.
I’ll admit: It’s crazy. But it’s not entirely out of the question.
The Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard alluded to the possibility of a Belichick departure in a column on Saturday night.
“There have been increasing NFL rumors that perhaps Belichick is not as wedded to Foxborough as many of us, certainly me, thought. Is Belichick setting up a final test on whether he has complete control of the football operations? I think Belichick would be OK with Brady being back, but not at the expense of the rest of the team. There are four openings out there and they won’t last forever. If Belichick is contemplating a move, it would have to come soon. There’s no solid intel, but some rumblings I hadn’t heard before. So I don’t rule anything out.”
New England has pieces in place. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would take over as head coach. Director of player personnel Nick Caserio would step up as general manager. They both are likely to land somewhere this offseason in those roles anyway.
Belichick would move on to the New York Giants or the Cleveland Browns or the Dallas Cowboys or practically any destination he wants. What team wouldn’t accommodate Belichick’s requests if he called?
The most likely outcome of this offseason is that Brady and Belichick land back in New England. Brady could depart — he has certainly granted himself the freedom to do so. But perhaps it’s possible — and more possible than we’re recognizing — that Belichick ends up being the one to leave the Patriots.
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