Has Tom Brady's Tenure With Patriots Come to an End?

While Patriots QB Tom Brady did make it clear that he wants to play next season, what he didn't say is who he will be playing for.

After 20 years, six championships, nine Super Bowl appearances, a plethora of record and milestones, and a Hall of Fame career, Tom Brady's future with the New England Patriots looks to be in jeopardy for the first time ever. 

At 42 years old, the Patriots' veteran QB is entering his first NFL offseason as a free agent, which will land him as the biggest name in the free-agency pool when the new league year begins. While there will be plenty of interest in Brady's abilities from organizations looking to get their team over the hump with strong quarterback play, what is being examined shortly after the team's Wild-Card loss to the Titans is what will transpire in the coming months between New England and their 14-time Pro Bowler. 

"I love the Patriots," Brady said emphatically during his postgame press conference Saturday night. "I mean, they obviously – this is the greatest organization, and playing for Mr. [Robert] Kraft all these years and for coach [Bill] Belichick – there’s nobody that’s had a better career, I would say, than me, just being with them. So, I’m very blessed and I don’t know what the future looks like and I’m not going to predict it."

Brady's tenure with the Patriots going forward will depend upon two factors 1) Brady's desire to continue playing for New England 2) The Patriots' desire to retain Brady. 

Based on what FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reported on Sunday, Brady doesn't want to take the hometown discount anymore. That means if the Patriots want him to stay in New England, they will need to pay Tom Brady the money he wants. How much money he will be looking to get is still unknown, but one can imagine it will be much closer to the league average than it has been in the past. How long of a contract he wants will also be a major factor. 

For the Patriots - they have a lot to worry about this upcoming offseason. Depending on how they handle their offseason could ultimately attract or deter Brady to re-sign with the team. 

New England is set to have 20 players hit free agency in 2020, which includes players such as Joe Thuney, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Jamie Collins, and Kyle Van Noy. McCourty and Slater will also be mulling retirement, and Benjamin Watson already said he will "probably" retire. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a top candidate for a head-coaching job in the NFL, and Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio will be pursuing a front-office job elsewhere once his contract expires. Special teams and wide receivers coach Joe Judge is also taking a head-coaching interview with the Giants, and there's talk that Matt Patricia could try and lure Jerod Mayo to Detroit to become his next defensive coordinator. 

Let's not forgot that even if the Patriots re-signed all the key pieces of their team for another season, they still don't have enough offensive weapons to get the job done. Julian Edelman, who looks like he will be returning next season, will be 34 years old and can't stay healthy enough to handle being heavily targeted in this chapter of his career. N'Keal Harry is young and talented, but still has a lot of developing to do. Mohamed Sanu couldn't seem to figure out how to produce in New England's offense after joining them mid-season. With Watson likely retiring, the Patriots will be left with Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse at tight end, neither of which have shown an ability to be a reliable NFL starter. 

Amongst all this turmoil is the looming quarterback situation. If Brady's doesn't actually want to take the hometown discount anymore, would the Patriots want to sign a 42-year-old quarterback to the contract that he wants, which is something they've never done for him? 

If there isn't a serious effort by New England to add offensive weapons in the offseason, that would be a good enough reason for Brady to leave the Patriots, all money aside. At this point in his career, Brady can't be expected to shoulder the workload every week by throwing the football 30-to-40 times a game and having to make exceptional throws constantly just to keep the offense moving down the field and scoring points. 

If the Patriots don't try to acquire a talented pass-catcher via free agency or the draft (if not both) this offseason, Brady should have no reason to feel guilty about leaving the team he's been with for two decades. However, depending on his demands, he may not even be welcomed back to New England when he hits free agency. 

"Everybody’s situation on the team is different," Belichick during Sunday's end-of-season press conference. "There are no two that are exactly the same, but the future is the future for all of them just like it is for Tom (Brady) and anybody else you want to bring up. Certainly, Tom’s an iconic figure in this organization, and nobody respects Tom more than I do. I respect all of the other players and all of the other coaches in this organization, too. I think that everybody that is part of it is an important part of it, and I want to give the proper attention and communication and detail and thought into my input into those decisions."

While Belichick undoubtedly recognizes Brady as a key cog of New England's success over the past two decades, that doesn't mean it will play a factor in contract negotiations this offseason. As someone who has a reputation for treating every player the same and not giving the superstar treatment to those who may deserve it, Belichick's mentality could be the reason the Brady-Belichick era comes to an end. 

As a player that just wrapped up his 20th NFL season, Brady's stats in the 2019 season do not exactly merit a big payday. Granted, making up for the money the organization didn't give him over the years would be warranted, especially when considering Patriots owner Robert Kraft wants Brady to retire as a Patriot. But if sustaining a high-level of success is in the game plan for Belichick in the coming years, then handing Brady a blank check, or a check that is well above what New England wants to pay him doesn't seem like a wise move. 

A happy medium will need to met between Brady and the Patriots if both sides want to continue their relationship and have the best chance of winning in 2020. Being a duo is how Brady and Belichick have maintained a historic level of success, which is why their success as separate units wouldn't be nearly as frequent. If the two parties don't come to a deal in the coming months, then we may all have to deal with the awkward scenario of watching Brady play in a different uniform next season.