Tom Brady’s decision to leave the New England Patriots and tentatively sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continues to shock the sports world. Brady spent his entire career with the Patriots, helping the club win six Super Bowls. While fans were surprised by Brady’s decision, the quarterback has been dropping clues about his future long before he made the announcement on social media.
Patriots fail to keep Brady
Although Brady has been the driving force behind his team’s success, the Patriots failed to give him a long-term contract that would last until his retirement. When the team drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014, many took it as a sign that they were preparing for Brady’s exit.
“We know what Tom’s age and contract situation is,”
head coach Bill Belichick said at the time.
Even though Tom Brady continued to take the Patriots to the Super
Bowl, his contract status made it clear that he would have a major decision
ahead of him. According to NFL,
Brady forced the Patriots to structure his last contract so that it would make
him a free agent in 2020.
The loss to the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the playoffs a few months back was likely the last nail in the coffin. But some experts believe that Brady had been dropping subtle clues about his future long before his decision became public knowledge.
Tom Brady opens up about his future
Following the heartbreaking loss to the Titans at the beginning
of the year, Brady was asked if he was planning on staying with the Patriots or
retiring from football altogether. The 42-year-old assured fans that retirement
was “unlikely,” but he also admitted that the future was uncertain.
“I love the Patriots…” Brady shared. “I don’t want
to get too much into the future and stuff. I mean, this team has fought hard.
We battled every day, we tried to get better, we worked hard to improve and I
was proud to be a part of this team.”
Tom Brady added that he refused to predict what would happen next. He then stated that he has loved playing for the Patriots and that he was going to take things “day-by-day.”
A few days later, Brady posted a reflection piece on Instagram
about his successes and failures last season. At the end, he noted that he has
“more to prove,” which suggested that Brady wanted to be with a team
that could compete for a championship.
Up to that point, most fans thought that Brady would stay with
the Patriots, but behind-the-scenes, he was making moves that told a completely
different story.
The biggest clues that Brady was going to leave the Patriots
Brady may have been tight-lipped about his future with the
Patriots, but there were plenty of signs about what was to come.
Over the course of his career, Tom Brady’s family had a special suite inside Gillette Stadium where they watched his games. Following the team’s quick playoff exit, reports surfaced that the suite had been cleaned out like never before.
Brady had also given up his long-time post on the board of a
local charity called Best Buddies. He then put his house in Boston up for sale,
a move that was a clear signal that change was afoot.
Although Brady was very vague about his future plans, he was not
shy about criticizing the team’s offense throughout the regular season. He did
not admit it in public, but it seemed like the only way Brady was staying is if
the Patriots made big moves.
All of these moves came to a head when Brady announced his departure on social media. Brady thanked the Patriots for all the good years they enjoyed and seemed optimistic about what the future holds.
Tom Brady to sign with the Bucs
By all accounts, Brady is going to be the starting quarterback of
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at
the start of the 2020 season.
According to TMZ,
Colin Cowherd, who hosts a sports talk show called The Herd on FS1,
broke the news about Tom Brady’s decision. Cowherd claims to have received the
information from a source close to Brady.
“He has made a decision,” Cowherd shared. “I am
told Tampa is the choice and he will sign tomorrow.”
Prior to the announcement, there were a handful of teams in the
running to sign Brady. Although the Bucs emerged as a late contender, it is not
a huge shocker that they were the ones to land Brady.
Not only do the Bucs have a great offensive coach in Bruce
Arians, but they have plenty of weapons at their disposal, including Mike
Evans, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard.
Tom Brady is expected to officially be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer by the end of the week.
