The upcoming offseason very well could be franchise-altering for the Patriots.
New England soon will embark on never-before-seen territory, as the greatest player in the history of the franchise will be eligible to hit free agency for the first time in his legendary career. As such, it probably wasn’t very difficult for ESPN’s Mike Reiss to figure out two words to best describe the Patriots offseason.
You guessed it: “Tom Brady.”
“For the first time in his 20-year career, Brady will be an unrestricted free agent, and the Patriots can’t assign the franchise tag to him,” Reiss wrote. “So there is intrigue as to how it will all unfold. Will Brady retire? Re-sign in New England? Play elsewhere? Even Brady himself has said he doesn’t know the answer at this point, and he has approached the season by saying everything is a bonus at this point.”
One has to wonder how much impact the 2019 season will have on Brady’s impending decision. The campaign obviously has been a challenging one for the 42-year-old, and while N’Keal Harry and Sony Michel are expected to be in the fold for years to come, it’s still tough to say the future of New England’s offense is bright. The Patriots obviously can make some moves in the spring, but it’s clear the seasoned signal-caller needs quite a bit more around him to play at a high level.
But those are worries for down the road. For now, Brady and Co. surely are focused on bringing the organization a seventh Super Bowl title.
