Tom Brady had a lasting impact on plenty of people he interacted with during his two-decade tenure with the New England Patriots but built special relationships with a select few.
Malcolm Mitchell apparently is one of those people.
The former Patriots receiver quickly developed a connection with Brady after joining the Patriots in 2016. And he detailed how he managed to gain Brady’s trust during an appearance on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria” on Friday.
“I am not sure I have the answer to that. I can tell you how I approached every day and that was to give it 110 percent and minimize mistakes and show I was dedicated to do whatever it took to win,” Mitchell said, as transcribed by WEEI’s Ryan Hannable. “… I would say the pat-on-the-back philosophy isn’t used much in football, but you can just tell based off of the confidence and the throws, how early he (Brady) throws the ball, how often he throws you the ball and just overall communication — little subtle things here and there.”
Mitchell, who competed for the Pats in 2016 before a knee injury forced him to retire in 2018, racked up 32 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns in his lone year on the field.