This NFL offseason certainly hasn’t been short on drama in Foxboro, Mass.
The New England Patriots have dealt with the potential retirement of Rob Gronkowski, the fallout from Malcolm Butler’s Super Bowl benching and the apparent feud between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Ever since ESPN dropped a report of a power struggle between Brady, Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, the drama at Gillette Stadium only has increased, with it hitting a high point when Brady and Gronkowski elected to skip the team’s organized team activities.
Brady’s absence naturally led to speculation that the rift with Belichick was growing and there were reports that Brady might be angling for a better contract.
So, of course, the question of whether Patriots fans should pick the QB or the coach has come up, but former star tight end Tony Gonzalez thinks fans should pick TB12. Gonzalez went on FOX Sports 1’s “Speak For Yourself” and discussed Brady vs. Belichick with Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock, noting Brady playing at sub-market value should give him the edge over Belichick.
“I would probably side with Tom Brady,” Gonzalez said. “I talked about it last time I was on the show. He’s making what? $14 million this year? That’s not good for a guy of his caliber. I think he’s saying, ‘I’ve given you the hometown discount throughout my career. At this point, come on just give me something close. I don’t have to be making $30-35 million.’ Because that doesn’t win championships, I’m a big believer in that, you can’t have a guy making that much money and Tom Brady’s shown that. But I do believe in respect, give him more than $14 million.”
If the rift between the two greats is about money, then Gonzalez makes a pretty good point. However, there is reason to believe that the issue goes much deeper than Brady’s paycheck and instead focuses on who deserves more credit for the Patriots dynasty.
And that’s a whole different conversation.
