Even those who know Tom Brady well aren’t quite sure what the future holds for the New England Patriots quarterback.
Brady is set to become a free agent after this season, opening the possibility he could retire or play elsewhere in 2020. ESPN’s Adam Schefter even theorized last week that returning to the Patriots was the “least likely option” for the 42-year-old based on several factors.
That sounds crazy, with Brady still playing well in his 20th season with the Patriots, who improved to 8-0 in Week 8 with a 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium. But two of Brady’s former teammates, Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi, acknowledged Sunday on ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” that they — just like everyone else — don’t have a firm grasp on what lies ahead for the veteran QB.
“Just sitting down with him, I got the indication that he still wants to play football. He still loves the game, he still enjoys it, he’s still playing at a high level. So for me to look at Tom Brady in another jersey, it would look weird,” Moss, who played parts of four seasons in New England (2007-10), said. “But hey, we’ve seen the best of them — from (Brett) Favre to (Peyton) Manning — move on. It just seems weird that a man that has done so much for one organization and what he stands on — just the principles for him and the organization — it’s just hard to see him in another uniform. But just sitting down with him for the little period of time last week before the ‘Monday Night Football’ game, the indication that I got was that he still wants to play football and he still loves to play at a high level.”
“A lot of things have changed in Tom’s life over the 20 years in terms of family, relationships, teammates, there’s a lot of change. But I think he knows the one constant is that man who’s at the head coaching position, and that’s Bill Belichick,” Bruschi, who spent his entire 13-year career with the Patriots (1996-2008), added. “And if they have a great relationship now, that’s a good thing. But I think in Tom’s mind, he knows what Bill’s job eventually (is), what he has to do. And he has to move on past Tom Brady. Tom knows that’s coming. And to have control of where he’s going to be and how it’s going to end for him, I think that’s important for him, too.”
Hear more from Moss, Bruschi, Schefter and former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the video below.
Again, it’s hard to imagine Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champion, wearing a different jersey next season. He’s meant so much to the New England organization and is like a son to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Plus, Schefter reported Sunday, citing a source, that Brady’s working relationship with Belichick is “terrific” right now, so it’s fair to assume the sides would be open to continuing the arrangement beyond the 2019 campaign.
You never really know what to expect from the Patriots, though — aside from winning, of course. So all we can do is speculate until the greatest quarterback in NFL history ultimately makes a decision this offseason, perhaps after another championship victory.
“Do the Patriots know something we don’t,” Bruschi wondered. “Because that almost, like, desperation for them trying to improve for this year — the whole effort in getting Antonio Brown and then getting rid of Antonio Brown and still keeping him as long as they possibly could before they had to get rid of him. Now bringing in (Mohamed) Sanu, tight ends, fullbacks. I read it as, ‘We’re trying to give you the best opportunity to win one in your last go-round.’ Is that the case?”
