Joe Namath can’t see Tom Brady playing in any other jersey than a New England Patriots one.
Brady is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 20-year career. Brady even put his New England house up for sale, which has led many to believe that he is on his way out of Foxborough. However, Namath isn’t buying Brady ever leaving the Patriots.
“It’s almost beyond my belief that he would go to another team under any circumstances,” Namath told ESPN. “I can’t imagine that separation. Moving out of the New England area that he’s been so accustomed to, and his family, that’s a hard thing, too. I don’t think he’ll ever leave that totally behind, I really don’t.”
Namath was faced with a similar situation in his career. His body was breaking down, so the Jets drafted a quarterback in 1976. Despite owner Leon Hess asking him stay, Namath decided it was time for a change. Instead of retiring with the Jets, Namath spent his final season in Los Angeles with the Rams. It’s a decision that doesn’t sit well with Namath to this day.
“We had dinner, and he asked me to stay,” Namath said. “I regret to some extent not being positive and saying, ‘Yes, sir.’ He really asked me to stay, and I had to explain to Mr. and Mrs. Hess that night it was time for a change.”
It’s hard to see Brady playing for anybody else other than the Patriots. Few teams offer Brady as competitive a situation, and it’s not like New England has better options under center in 2020. The Patriots still were a 12-4 team this season and just need a few more pieces around Brady to get back to a championship level.
While Brady’s free agency is the current topic of his career, the overarching question that has surrounded him for years is his retirement. At age 42, no one knows how many years he has left in the NFL. But Brady has made it know that he’d like to stick around for a few more years.
Namath is pulling for him to do so.
“I want to see him play as long as he physically and mentally wants to, man, because we’ve all seen over the years the execution that has been superb more times than not,” the Jets legend said. “We don’t get to see that kind of player, that kind of character, very often. It’s very rare.”