Brad Marchand would like to see Tom Brady stay with the Patriots — for New England’s sake.
Marchand was asked Monday about Brady’s future now that the Patriots have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs and the quarterback is set to become a free agent. The Bruins winger, who has been with Boston’s hockey team for three of Brady’s six Super Bowl titles in New England, responded with immense praise for the 42-year-old and a prediction likely shared by many Patriots fans agonizing over TB12’s potential departure.
“He’s obviously the best quarterback to ever play. The guy is a legend. He’s won them six championships. He’s a hell of a quarterback and I’m sure he’s got a few seasons left in him,” Marchand told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “We’d love to see him back. He’s part of this city. It would be pretty tough to see him in any other jersey and I can pretty much guarantee he’d come back to bite everybody in the butt (if he left). So hopefully he’s back next year.”
Brady has spent his entire 20-year career with the Patriots, cementing himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history along the way. It’d obviously be weird to see him in a different uniform, especially since New England doesn’t appear to have a clear succession plan in place. But it’s a realistic possibility, as Brady indicated Saturday night after the Patriots’ wild-card round loss to the Tennessee Titans that he doesn’t anticipate retiring this offseason.
Just don’t expect Brady’s exit to sit well with Patriots fans — or Marchand, for that matter — if he signs elsewhere in the coming months.
