Bombshell Report: Belichick Thought Brady Was 'Washed Up' Before Patriots' Final 3 Super Bowls
Long before the end of the New England Patriots' dynasty, Bill Belichick thought quarterback Tom Brady was washed up. As early as 2014 - before the team won its final three Super Bowls - the legendary coach was convinced the iconic quarterback was showing signs of deterioration in his play.
That bombshell revelation headlines a lengthy postmortem of the Patriots published last week by ESPN. The story - titled "It Was The Patriot Way, Until It Wasn't" - details not only the ballyhooed breakup of Belichick and Brady but also the disastrous 2023 season that led to the coach parting ways with the team last week.
According to ESPN's story, as early as 2014 Belichick provided Patriots owner Robert Kraft with a study detailing how quarterbacks begin declining in their middle 30s. Brady, who was 37 at that time, went on make the Pro Bowl, finish 5th in NFL MVP voting and lead the Patriots to Super Bowl XLIX in the 2014 season.
But his training program, which followed his own regimen rather than the one otherwise mandated by Belichick, apparently rubbed the coach the wrong way and friction began. After winning two more Super Bowls, Brady bolted Foxboro in free agency after the 2019 season and won another championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at age 43.
"Bill had told me Tom couldn’t play anymore,” Kraft said privately in early 2021, per ESPN's story. "Then he goes out and wins the (bleeping) Super Bowl.”
Brady finally retired after the 2022 season at age 45 as the NFL's all-time leader in attempts, completions and yards.
In the tug-of-war for credit - did Bill make Brady or vice-versa? - the story is another damaging blow to Belichick.
In the three years after Brady left Foxboro, Belichick's Patriots went 29-39 and didn't win a single playoff game. They have had four quarterbacks start games since 2020 including Mac Jones (42), Cam Newton (15) and Brian Hoyer (2).
Brady and Belichick two won an NFL-record 249 games and six Super Bowls as the winningest coach-quarterback in league history.
