Why Nick Wright Still Thinks Bill Belichick Was Right To Let Tom Brady Go

'Belichick didn't make a mistake'

If you thought the struggles of Cam Newton would force Nick Wright to have a change of heart, you’d be wrong.

The FS1 talking head has remained adamant that that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were better off for letting Tom Brady leave and handing the keys to Cam Newton, even if that wasn’t their plan entering the offseason. Some fans even talked themselves into believing that a couple weeks into the 2020 season.

But with Brady thriving with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Newton looking awful in his last three games, many are reversing their stances. Wright is not one of them.

“What Belichick knew,” Wright said during Tuesday’s “First Things First” episode, “was that with or without Tom Brady, the New England Patriots in 2020 could not win a Super Bowl. So, he wanted to turn the page and figure out, ‘Do we have our quarterback in house, or do we need to go get one?’ They found out it wasn’t Stidham, now they’re going to find out whether it’s Cam or not moving forward over the next nine weeks of the season.

” … No, I don’t think Belichick made a mistake, and I don’t think by the end of the season it’ll look like a mistake.”

Of course, Wright’s logic omits the possibility Belichick was blindsided by Brady’s departure and still hasn’t developed a real succession plan, but whatever.

Ultimately, it would be best for all if people withhold from offering these takes until at least the end of the season.

About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.