Colin Cowherd won’t cry because it’s over. He’ll smile because it happened.
Cowherd, who has long expressed admiration for Tom Brady, believes this offseason is the perfect time for the Patriots quarterback to ride off into the sunset. Because while Brady might have a little something left in the tank despite an underwhelming 2019 season, retiring now would mark a clean break for the 42-year-old as New England heads toward a 2020 campaign filled with uncertainty.
“Let me just say this: Even for great athletes — forget the average guy — but even for superstar athletes, it almost always ends choppy,” Cowherd said Tuesday on FS1. “Michael Jordan to the Wizards. Patrick Ewing to the Sonics and Orlando Magic. Hakeem (Olajuwon) to the Raptors. Joe Namath ended up out here in Los Angeles. Brett Favre goes to the Jets, had one good year with Minnesota then a choppy year. Emmitt Smith to the Cardinals. You’re best — if you’ve got your money — to just tie a bow around it. Class, dignity. Derek Jeter did it the right way. John Elway, Super Bowl MVP, exits, did it the right way.
“Brady’s not good enough to elevate average people anymore. We all know that. So he can’t go to a rebuild. He’d have to get the perfect situation. I don’t think the perfect situation is out there. …Â I think it’s a perfect time to retire or stay in New England. That’s my gut feeling. I’ve seen so many athletes, great athletes, unless there’s a money issue, which there clearly isn’t, you can wrap a bow around this career.”
"Derek Jeter did it the right way. John Elway, Super Bowl MVP, exits, did it the right way… Now is the perfect time for Tom Brady to retire." — @ColinCowherd. pic.twitter.com/UQirocFvY1
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 7, 2020
Father Time finally caught up with Brady this season, the 20th of the quarterback’s career. He posted numbers well below his career norms as the Patriots’ offense struggled, particularly late in the year and in New England’s wild-card round loss to the Tennessee Titans.
But Cowherd’s desire to see Brady hang up the cleats stems more from what lies ahead. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could leave for a head coaching job elsewhere this offseason, and there’s no guarantee New England’s roster will look any better next season. So, it could be more of the same for No. 12 in 2020.
“Tom Brady can end now with 11 straight AFC East titles, 11 straight playoff appearances and eight of nine AFC championships. One team. One coach. GOAT. Seacrest, out,” Cowherd said. “That feels incredibly clean to me.
” … I think it’s a perfect time for Brady to retire. I’m not predicting he’s going to. I just think I like clean endings. I mean, I even get along with my ex-wife. I’m not a big fan of having these choppy, uneven endings in life. I like a clean, solid, dignified, indisputable ‘it’s over, but let’s look back fondly of it.’ I think it’s a perfect time to retire.”
Brady, who is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, said after Saturday’s loss to the Titans that it’s “pretty unlikely” he’ll retire in the coming months. That won’t stop folks, including Cowherd, from speculating about his future, though, as it’s undeniably the biggest story of the NFL offseason.
