ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday, citing a source, that the current working relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is “terrific” despite speculation over whether the quarterback will leave the New England Patriots after this season.
Just don’t expect that to stand in the way of a good theory.
Marcellus Wiley, a former NFL defensive end, explained this week on FS1’s “Speak For Yourself” that he believes Belichick is ready to soon “move on” from Brady, citing the coach’s rumored desire to keep Jimmy Garoppolo before ultimately trading the younger QB to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
“There are plays being left on the football field, and this is partly why (Belichick) was so eager to keep Jimmy Garoppolo. He wanted to move on in terms of really closing that gap of efficiency,” Wiley said. “Tom Brady, by the numbers, is in decline. We know that. He’s 42 (years old). You expect it. But Belichick, who likes to get to the party early, wants to turn that page, I think. But the problem is he’s protected — Tom Brady is — by those rings. We always throw out the cliche ‘Super Bowl or bust.’ No one is living more of an existence of ‘Super Bowl or bust’ than Tom Brady, because trust me, those expectations are absurd and he continues to meet them. But the day, the moment, the second he doesn’t, Belichick’s ready to move on.”
It isn’t exactly groundbreaking to say someone in charge of personnel decisions will move on from a quarterback once he believes the team can’t win a Super Bowl with that particular signal-caller. This obviously is an unprecedented situation, though, as Brady not only has won six Super Bowl titles with New England. He’s also very close with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and it would be strange to see No. 12 rocking a different uniform.
That said, Belichick isn’t afraid to make bold decisions, sometimes choosing to cut ties with a player a year early rather than a year late. And Brady is set to become a free agent after the 2019 season, leaving open the possibility he plays elsewhere or retires a few months from now.
