FOXBORO MA. – JANUARY 5: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s name is still on the banner, along with his teammates, but will he be there in the locker room next year at Gillette Stadium on January 5, 2020 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Staff photo by Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
MIAMI — Tom Brady’s future is understandably a hot topic at the Super Bowl, even if the Patriots aren’t among the participants.
With the NFL gathered in South Beach, it was a good place to bring together various experts, former teammates, people who know Brady to get their respective perspectives on the upcoming free agent quarterback.
Does he stay, does he go?
What are your feelings, a little over a month before the start of free agency?
Opinions vary on what’s going on with the GOAT, who plans to spice up free agency in March. What is the end of the match for No. 12?
On Tuesday, Rob Gronkowski urged his former teammate to test free agency. NFL legend Joe Montana, meanwhile, advised Brady to stay in New England. The 42-year-old’s contract with the Patriots is set to expire shortly before the new league year kicks off on March 18.
Here’s what many other NFL guys gathered in Miami for Super Bowl LIV had to say on the subject.
Rodney Harrison (NBC commentator, former teammate) – “I would leave it open, I mean, who knows? You have two guys with big egos, Bill and Tom. When you get to that point in life where you’re so successful, you must have a big ego. Nothing surprises me, man. I think Coach (Belichick), he looks at guys, and everyone has an expiration date. He gave Tom that extra year (this season). . . and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was gone. All you need is a team, and I think there will be at least 4 or 5 teams. I think Oakland could be a really good situation for him. They have a good offensive line, they have a good young running back, they have good young wide receivers, big tight ends, if you add a few more veterans and beef up the defense. . . if you put Tom Brady in this AFC West, with some draft picks, especially as aggressive as Oakland has been in the draft and bringing in free agents, that could be a heck of a spot for him. With Jon Gruden’s quick passing game, running game, a big, physical offensive line that can protect and the hype of bringing Tom Brady to Vegas, this could be the perfect spot here. Just a guess.
Richard Seymour (former teammate, Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist) – “From my point of view, it’s a business. Ultimately, it’s not personal. He earned the right to be a free agent. It’s his choice as to what he wants to do. Clearly, New England is all he knows. It’s familiar. If anything, you’d think he’d be content there, but you never know what direction the team wants to go, and if he and his family want to do something different.
Damien Woody (ESPN analyst, former teammate) – “I think he’s leaving. I do. I just think that the family component will play an important role. I think Gisèle is tired of being in Boston. I think she’s going to carry a lot of weight. I don’t think Brady feels respected, especially with Bill. He’s 42 years old, and he looks at Drew Brees and some of these other quarterbacks and thinks, “Why can’t I have weapons?” Why don’t you help me like these guys? And the fact that he’s always made team-friendly deals, and it just doesn’t seem like it’s reciprocated, especially at this point in his career. I think Brady is right at the point where he says, “You know what? No.’ And I definitely think it will be a market. There will be teams looking for a champion-bred quarterback who always rises to the moment.
Charlie Weis (former Patriots offensive coordinator, Sirius XM NFL radio commentator) – “I support the same thing that everyone in New England supports. I wish Tommy would end his career with the Patriots. I hope for everyone, that’s how it goes. Obviously, the Krafts will own the team forever. But when Bill (Belichick) and Tommy leave New England, I’d like that to be the last place they go. It’s part of the aura of Boston, the Patriots and the Boston franchises. It’s like Carl Yastrzemski. This is how it should be. This is what is practical and my personal feeling.
Brett Favre (NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, Sirius XM NFL radio commentator) – “I think with Tom he’s really in a great position. If he wants to play, you know, I’m sure New England would take him in a heartbeat and pay him anything. And if he wants to go play somewhere else and just see, test the waters and see what it’s like to play for someone else, maybe lead another team to a championship, he has that right. I actually see little, if any, decline in his game. I think he definitely needs some help. And I don’t care who the quarterback was on this team, they could use a little help. So he has to sit there and think: Do I want to play? Can I play? I think the question “Can I play?” » can easily be answered. I think he can still play. And the question of if he goes to another team will they be able to protect him and will the game be somewhat familiar with what he’s used to? He’s been in the same crime for 20 years and learning a foreign language overnight is hard enough to do, not to mention do you really want to experience that?
Ty Law (Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, former Patriot teammate) – “You know what? I hope he stays. But at the same time, it’s his choice. Whatever is best for his family. If he wants to go there and do something he has done during his storybook career, test the free agent market, just to see what it’s like… It all depends on the person. Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side. Sometimes , that’s not the case. This is a decision for Tom and his family. No one should have anything negative to say about this. It’s his life. He’s done everything he can for 20 years in New England. Let him live. I wish him the best whatever he does.
Solomon Wilcots (former NFL safety, SiriusXM NFL radio analyst) – “Clearly, he moved the pieces on the board to free himself and rely on himself, even if he wants to stay in New England. So he needed leverage to get the deal he wants to keep. But personally, I think he has a better chance of staying than leaving. But if he leaves, the (LA Chargers) are ripe for the picking. They have two tight ends, they have at least two wide receivers. . . they have good players at all offensive and defensive levels. So he has a good squad and he can play in hot weather. It makes you feel younger, doesn’t it? The other place would be Tampa. Bruce Arians can sell ice to Eskimos in Alaska. He’s the man and Tom would love to play for him. He would get 5,000 yards in this offense. . . it’s about the team that needs a quarterback, what coaches and systems are in place, and do they have the talent on the roster to pique his interest. Can this team win? He won’t go somewhere to lose.
Ross Tucker (former NFL offensive lineman, Westwood One analyst) – “Being there and watching, I always thought he would end up playing for someone else, because I always thought he would believe he could still play at a high level, while Belichick no longer did it. . . I actually thought this would have happened when Brady was younger. But he’s the most driven person I’ve ever been around, and so determined that I always felt like he would get to a point where he really still believed he could play at a high level, and the Patriots and Belichick are not sentimental. enough to say, “No, it’s time to move on.” It feels like maybe now is the time, except what’s different between Brady and every other player is that (Robert) Kraft is very motivated to keep Brady more than anyone else. I think it’s a fascinating dynamic. . . I think Kraft, the mere idea of Brady wearing another uniform, is unacceptable to him. But from Brady’s point of view, I think he’s tired of feeling the last few times with the contract he’s been put to the test. He has provided them with a number of financial services over the years. . . you know, he’s the only player that I think fans might pick him over the team or Belichick. So I still think 65 percent he’s patriotic, 25 percent he’s going somewhere else and 10 percent he’s retiring.”
Willie McGinest (Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker, NFL Network analyst) – “I just don’t know. He has possibilities. He has options. Let’s hope the Patriots are the first to get there, get out of this and we don’t talk about it again.
Trent Dilfer (former NFL quarterback) – “I think he’ll stay. I can’t see a league without him as a Patriot. I don’t know if I’m optimistic or objective, but I think he stays. Today, everyone says they were a bad football team. They weren’t a bad football team, they were a good football team. They just weren’t great. It’s not like they’re in rebuild mode.
Jimmy Garoppolo (Niners quarterback, former Brady understudy) – “I don’t know (where he will play). I haven’t really thought about it much. We were involved in all of this. But it will be pretty interesting when all this happens.
