As uncertainty hangs over Tom Brady’s future with the Patriots, one former teammate wouldn’t be shocked if Saturday’s wild-card round matchup with the Tennessee Titans winds up being the quarterback’s final game in New England.
Former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody, who spent five seasons with New England (1999-2003), explained Thursday on ESPN’s “Get Up” that he believes we’re witnessing the end of Brady in a Patriots uniform. The Pats lost three of their final five regular-season games, including this past Sunday’s finale against the lowly Miami Dolphins, and Brady, a free agent this offseason, has underachieved for most of the 2019 campaign.
“I think we’re looking at the end. I think this is going to be the end of Tom Brady in a Patriots uniform. I do,” Woody said. “This hasn’t been the typical Patriots run heading into the playoffs. Usually around Thanksgiving, they’ve figured it out, got their identity, they’re hot going into the playoffs. I mean, they’re coming off a loss at home — a must-win game to get the second seed — to the Miami Dolphins, where Tom Brady didn’t look well at all. The Patriots have a very thin margin for error. If their defense isn’t on top of its game, they’re gonna lose. They’re going against a Tennessee Titans team that’s humming. Ryan Tannehill is humming.”
There’s been plenty of debate over the past few months as to whether Brady will retire or perhaps take his talents elsewhere once New England’s season ends. It’s interesting to hear a former teammate voice such skepticism over Brady’s future with the Patriots, though, and it’s also hard to imagine the six-time Super Bowl champion’s New England tenure ending with a whimper given the amazing run of success he’s had with the organization that drafted him in the sixth round back in 2000.
Nevertheless, here we are. Brady’s status has never looked foggier, and Saturday night in Foxboro might just mark the end of an era.
