Opinion: Tom Brady leaving Patriots would make 2020 the greatest NFL season ever
We can thank Tom Brady for what is going to be the greatest NFL season ever.
Brady, he of the six Super Bowl rings, is a free agent for the first time in his career. While there is obviously a chance he returns to New England and finishes his career out with Bill Belichick and the Patriots, it’s telling that he structured his contract with the express purpose of being able to explore his options. Does that sound like someone who wants to stay put?
No matter. Because just the idea of Brady considering other teams has set off a silly season unlike anything the NFL has seen. The Chargers, Raiders, Titans, Colts, Rams, even the 49ers. They’ve all been mentioned, breathlessly, as a potential new home for Brady.
His real estate dealings are closely watched. A conservation with Julian Edelman sent fans scurrying for lip readers. His calls, or lack thereof, with Belichick and former teammates are read like tea leaves. Even his wife’s interviews are must-see TV in case she drops a clue.
All of this, and free agency is still two weeks away.
And say Brady does leave New England. It will spark a frenzy the likes of which the NFL has never seen.
Sure, the NFL’s biggest stars have switched teams before. Peyton Manning spent his last four seasons with the Denver Broncos. Brett Favre finished his career with Green Bay’s biggest rival, the Minnesota Vikings. Even Joe Montana, Brady’s childhood idol, left San Francisco for Kansas City.
But this is different.
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Manning’s departure from Indianapolis was about as amicable a divorce as there can be, and both sides ended up benefiting. The Colts with Andrew Luck, Manning with another ring. Montana’s departure was similar, coming after an elbow injury had sidelined him for the better part of two years and opened the door for Steve Young.
Even Favre’s betrayal had lost some of its sting by the time he returned to Lambeau Field in a Vikings jersey, coming almost two years after he left Green Bay in a trade to the Jets. Plus, by that point, the Packers and their fans had discovered that that guy named Aaron Rodgers was a more than able replacement.
But if Brady goes somewhere else, the move and its ripple effects will be the dominant story line throughout the NFL. How his new team fares with him. How the Patriots fare without him. What happens to the guy who gets displaced in the shuffle – cough, Ryan Tannehill, cough.
And heaven forbid if Brady’s new team happens to play Brady’s old team. That game would make the 2006 Manning Bowl, the first time Peyton and Eli faced each other in the NFL, seem as dramatic as a training camp scrimmage.
There would be wall-to-wall coverage in the lead-up. Intense interpretation of all of Belichick’s glowers and frowns, and hours of debate about what exactly he meant when he said, “I’ve already answered that” after being asked about Brady yet again.
The pre-game hype would be Super Bowl-esque, with cameras trained on Brady from every angle as well as his favorite former teammates. Did he spend too much time with Edelman during warmups? Not enough? Did he smile? Was that a genuine embrace or more like a bro hug?
And we haven’t even gotten into Brady’s actual play on the field. Every touchdown he throws will be hyped as proof he didn’t need Belichick to succeed, and every interception will fuel the debate of whether he was just a system quarterback all along.
From March until January, maybe February, the NFL is primed to be one long-running soap opera, with Brady as the central character. There will be no shortage of intrigue and entertainment, on and off the field.
But captivating as this all will be, everybody knows how this saga will end.
With Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, of course.
Follow Paste BN Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.
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