What constitutes megabucks here?I could see him going somewhere for one season (and only one season), for one last megabucks payday that the Patriots wouldn't match. But I agree that anything is possible.
Not sure he ever actually expressed any frustration.I’m just not sure I understand why, if he were seriously considering retirement after this year, Brady would’ve tacitly expressed pretty clear frustration that the Patriots were unwilling to give him a 2-3 year deal this summer. The only explanation is a version of “take me ball and go home,” which mad-about-negotiations is, IMO, unlikely to be enough to lead to.
And you’re still a Jets fan.Did I ever tell you guys that my grandfather who is a bit of a drunk, a happy one, but a drunk, called me after Brady’s first night game, I think it was MNF, and told me “Tom Brady is an angel sent by God to take the Patriots to the Super Bowl.” This is a true story that happened and I scoffed at it. Many still had Drew coming back. My grandfather has been laughing for 20 years.
I was with a buddy in maybe 2004 when many thought Manning was going to beat the Pats in the playoffs, this could have been 03, and he was convinced the Colts were going to win, I told him “you don’t get it, Tom Brady is an angel.” He scoffed. We are at a bar for the game. By the end of the game we were both drunk and both of us knew the truth “He is a fucking angel.”
I’m loyal to a fault
That’s admirable. Not like that flip-flopper Spawn.I’m loyal to a fault
Well, at least after February 2021.In any event, I don’t see Brady as the starting QB in 2021.
He deserves every penny. I don’t see Kraft letting Brady walk, no matter what Bill wants. Like us, he’s too much of a fan boy.40 for the one season.
So, like a little less than his wife continues to make every year? $40 million is $40 million, but that’s not going to change the Brady household.40 for the one season.
I was thinking that Gisele would have to OK the o-line too.So, like a little less than his wife continues to make every year? $40 million is $40 million, but that’s not going to change the Brady household.
Plus, he’d need to go to a team with a good to great line and supporting cast. Why would he take a chance on getting fucked up or putting up bad numbers? But not a team that’s too good already, otherwise what’s he really proving by being Peyton his last year in Denver. I just don’t see it.
Totally. I mean he used to be an ambassador for Audemars, but now it’s just Tag Heuer.I was thinking that Gisele would have to OK the o-line too.
I think people also underestimate Brady’s endorsements because a lot of his are for, like, things that most of us don’t buy, in magazines we don’t read.
Yeah, I find this the least plausible scenario. He’s going to mess with his legacy to join some random team for some extra money he doesn’t need? All after passing up money for basically his entire career?So, like a little less than his wife continues to make every year? $40 million is $40 million, but that’s not going to change the Brady household.
Plus, he’d need to go to a team with a good to great line and supporting cast. Why would he take a chance on getting fucked up or putting up bad numbers? But not a team that’s too good already, otherwise what’s he really proving by being Peyton his last year in Denver. I just don’t see it.
I think you may be really off base here.This is dumb. Brady has young kids. As much as Gisele hates him continuing to play, no way is she signing off on everyone moving to Chicago or San Diego for a year. He’s not going anywhere else to play and I’ll lay straight cash on that, homies.
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a28507342/tom-brady-age-nfl-training-interview/Next up, Brady turns his attention to Bündchen. “Gisele is not really into sports,” he says. “She’s like a kite flying in the sky, and I’m kind of tethering her. Sometimes I have to hold on hard. But she knows I’m always there for her.” Their backgrounds are in fact very different. “Gisele’s life has been very nontraditional,” says Brady. “She left home at 14; she lived in Japan at 16 in an era with no cell phones. She lived in New York City at 17 without speaking English. In her mind, there are no boundaries. ‘Why can’t you do that? Why do you have to go to school? Why can’t you just leave and live in a different country?’ In her reality, you can. Coming from mine, it was very different. This is what you do: You go to elementary school, go to high school, go to college. In her mind, why do you have to do any of those things? And you know what, she’s right. I’m the one that had to go, ‘You’re right!’ And that’s helped me grow.”
You might be reading a bit deeply into a “Both Partners Learn From Each Other: Isn’t Life Swell?” piece in a culture mag.I think you may be really off base here.
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a28507342/tom-brady-age-nfl-training-interview/
We have difficulty deciding on where to go for dinner around here.You might be reading a bit deeply into a “Both Partners Learn From Each Other: Isn’t Life Swell?” piece in a culture mag.
That said, I can’t imagine the decision processes each of them gets to employ that are completely unavailable to most people.
You continue to raise my expectations for a Jets fan and I do not like it one but.I’m loyal to a fault
This is funny. I was definitely on the Bledsoe returns to starter as soon as he's healthy bandwagon. I was also on the there's no room for David Ortiz with Kevin Millar and Jeremy Giambi bandwagon, so I'm not a very good judge of talent. Is your grandfather a Patriots or Jets fan?Did I ever tell you guys that my grandfather who is a bit of a drunk, a happy one, but a drunk, called me after Brady’s first night game, I think it was MNF, and told me “Tom Brady is an angel sent by God to take the Patriots to the Super Bowl.” This is a true story that happened and I scoffed at it. Many still had Drew coming back. My grandfather has been laughing for 20 years.
I was with a buddy in maybe 2004 when many thought Manning was going to beat the Pats in the playoffs, this could have been 03, and he was convinced the Colts were going to win, I told him “you don’t get it, Tom Brady is an angel.” He scoffed. We are at a bar for the game. By the end of the game we were both drunk and both of us knew the truth “He is a fucking angel.”
I don't think Brady's legacy would be tainted at all if he spends one random mediocre year with an NFC team. Maybe to him it would be a new challenge or something. Remember next year is the last before the lockout, so if he's going to try something like this it would have to be next year. I would still say it's more likely he retires.So, like a little less than his wife continues to make every year? $40 million is $40 million, but that’s not going to change the Brady household.
Plus, he’d need to go to a team with a good to great line and supporting cast. Why would he take a chance on getting fucked up or putting up bad numbers? But not a team that’s too good already, otherwise what’s he really proving by being Peyton his last year in Denver. I just don’t see it.
This feels about right to me. What is the one thing we know—we *actually* know—about Tom Brady and retirement? That quote from his father: he expects it to end badly. Brady has almost certainly been dreading this moment for years. He knows how competitive he is – but also how competitive and cold blooded BB is.I think Brady just wants to control the endgame here, now that he’s reached an age where he knows the end is coming. If he wants to go year-to-year with the Pats, he can do that (and the Pats will gladly oblige). If he wants a 2 or 3 year deal he’ll either get that, because the franchise tag is off the table, or he’ll move on or retire if the Pats aren’t open to that.
I don’t see him asking for a huge payday from NE. As Marciano notes, that money means nothing to him financially, and he doesn’t need the “validation” that many players associate with a big number - he’s already the GOAT, he doesn’t need a $40M deal to affirm that in his mind or anyone else’s. And where would that leave him if he got it? Playing out his last year(s) for a team that wouldn’t be nearly as competitive because he’d cap hamstrung it? Winning 10 games tops with a decimated roster and putting his health and winning legacy at risk as a result? I don’t see it.
He’ll be back unless he retires or wants a multi-year deal of a length that NE just won’t accept.
There is still a massive gap between Brady’s performance and a realistic replacement. I don’t see how BB would be at odds with Brady sticking around, especially at a sub-market salary.This feels about right to me. What is the one thing we know—we *actually* know—about Tom Brady and retirement? That quote from his father: he expects it to end badly. Brady has almost certainly been dreading this moment for years. He knows how competitive he is – but also how competitive and cold blooded BB is.
To this point, Brady has almost entirely relied on his performance to control the endgame. I'm not going to rehash 2014, his return from suspension in 2016 and the Jimmy G stuff in 2017. But if you assume Bill has challenged Brady over the years to prove that the job is his—and it would be out of character if he hasn’t—Brady has repeatedly met the challenge by either winning the Super Bowl or winning the MVP.
I mean, would anyone be surprised if at some point these last few years Kraft had gotten these two guys in a room together to get on the same page and Tom said, "I just feel like I've earned the right to end things on my own terms" -- and then when Kraft kicked it over to Bill he said, "I'm just trying to put the most competitive team I can on the field every day" and Brady just rolled his eyes? Whether or not this type of meeting has actually happened, I would be shocked if that isn't effectively the dynamic at play here.
Where I think Brady and Belichick see eye-to-eye 100% is in their mutual desire to win another Super Bowl -- and I think this is where Kraft has probably tried to keep them both focused. Forget about next year, forget about the end, you have an opportunity to win this year with each other -- so let's focus on that.
For the most part, it's worked. As long as the team remains competitive--and right now, again, they're the favorites--that's going to be a strong pull for both of them -- and for Brady to remain a NEP. But with each passing season, it makes sense that Brady would be taking more steps to increase his leverage to do this on his own terms. And that seems to be what he's doing here.
I was talking with a friend of mine about this yesterday and had a similar feeling. Brady knows he's approaching the end. But so does Bill. Do you think Bill wants to be left with Jared Stidham as his only option at QB? Heck no. He's going to be proactive and try to find another guy he can groom (insert Mo Sanu joke here). That's just who he is. If he thinks trading Brady to get the next great QB is the way to go, he's going to push Kraft to do it.This feels about right to me. What is the one thing we know—we *actually* know—about Tom Brady and retirement? That quote from his father: he expects it to end badly. Brady has almost certainly been dreading this moment for years. He knows how competitive he is – but also how competitive and cold blooded BB is.
To this point, Brady has almost entirely relied on his performance to control the endgame. I'm not going to rehash 2014, his return from suspension in 2016 and the Jimmy G stuff in 2017. But if you assume Bill has challenged Brady over the years to prove that the job is his—and it would be out of character if he hasn’t—Brady has repeatedly met the challenge by either winning the Super Bowl or winning the MVP.
He's backed off a bit from the "play until 45" more recently. His tune now is more along the lines of "retirement is something I think about, and it will happen when it happens. But I'm still here".Hasn't Brady been very specific that he wants to play until he's 45? I heard and saw these quotes and assume he means what he says.
If that's his intention, there is most definitely the possibility that it will end badly. Hopefully not, but definitely a chance. There my come a time when committing $28 million in cap space for a 44 year old QB that you know is not going to stick around very long is not rational for the long-term success of the franchise. Bill will eventually do what's best for the team, unless Kraft vetoes.
Gotta be prepared for it. Schefter positing it's this year is a silly distraction. It's going to come eventually, and it's going to suck.
Just speculating, but it may very well come down to when it is that he has a very clear picture of what he would do after football. Maybe he already has that. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy where "spend more time with family" or "maybe we'll live on a boat" is going to do it. I would think it's going to take a very clear vision of what his job will be -- whether it's corporate, in football, in entertainment, or whatever -- so that he allows himself the ability to start thinking about the alternative to something he's done his entire adult life. Maybe he already has that. Or maybe he's just too crazy during the extended season to put any effort into that.He's backed off a bit from the "play until 45" more recently. His tune now is more along the lines of "retirement is something I think about, and it will happen when it happens. But I'm still here".
Granted it's a different sport and body type, but you may recall the effort that David Ortiz said he would go through to get ready to play during his last season when he was 40, and he said it was clear he couldn't do it any more after that season. Avacado milkshakes notwithstanding, there is only so much even Tom Brady is willing to go through to get his body to cooperate.
I do agree that the longer he plays, the more likely his career will end in a fizzle (or an injury) rather than a bang, and the less likely it will be with New England. But there is a non-zero chance he could decide to hang them up before then for the reasons stated.
This is where I'm at. I think it was on the Facebook Video bits showing the Bradys' private side in an attempt to pitch TB12, where he basically referred to all the amazing blessings in his life and explained that he attributed it all to football. "For me, all of this is football", he gestured expansively. He wants "football" to continue as long as possible.From an article in the Athletic with a bunch of Browns' guys talking about Brady, this is Aaron Shea, Brady's old BFF from Michigan and a former TE and front office guy with the Browns:
Shea said he regularly talks with Brady about when he might retire. Brady’s answer: “Do you like what you’re doing right now?”
“I would tell him, no, there is nothing better than playing,” Shea said. “And he’d tell me: ‘That’s my point. There’s nothing I’d rather do than play football.’”
The hell with Schefter and click-baiting stories, I'll believe Brady is retiring when it happens. Until then, enjoy every single game he plays.
I dont know how a season of mediocrity would affect his overall legacy, but the images of Unitas with the Chargers, Namath with the Rams, and Mays stumbling around in CF for the '73 Mets have not been swept away by the rest of their respective careers.I don't think Brady's legacy would be tainted at all if he spends one random mediocre year with an NFC team. Maybe to him it would be a new challenge or something. Remember next year is the last before the lockout, so if he's going to try something like this it would have to be next year. I would still say it's more likely he retires.
I think the bolded is the most likely scenario behind the scenes. They will revisit the whole shooting match in March. If Brady even wants to play; if BB thinks he can, or has divined the cliff; and Kraft's final say. He'll be 43 next training camp. None of the 3 of them know the answers to any of the relevant 2020 questions right now.This feels about right to me. What is the one thing we know—we *actually* know—about Tom Brady and retirement? That quote from his father: he expects it to end badly. Brady has almost certainly been dreading this moment for years. He knows how competitive he is – but also how competitive and cold blooded BB is.
To this point, Brady has almost entirely relied on his performance to control the endgame. I'm not going to rehash 2014, his return from suspension in 2016 and the Jimmy G stuff in 2017. But if you assume Bill has challenged Brady over the years to prove that the job is his—and it would be out of character if he hasn’t—Brady has repeatedly met the challenge by either winning the Super Bowl or winning the MVP.
I mean, would anyone be surprised if at some point these last few years Kraft had gotten these two guys in a room together to get on the same page and Tom said, "I just feel like I've earned the right to end things on my own terms" -- and then when Kraft kicked it over to Bill he said, "I'm just trying to put the most competitive team I can on the field every day" and Brady just rolled his eyes? Whether or not this type of meeting has actually happened, I would be shocked if that isn't effectively the dynamic at play here.
Where I think Brady and Belichick see eye-to-eye 100% is in their mutual desire to win another Super Bowl -- and I think this is where Kraft has probably tried to keep them both focused. Forget about next year, forget about the end, you have an opportunity to win this year with each other -- so let's focus on that.
For the most part, it's worked. As long as the team remains competitive--and right now, again, they're the favorites--that's going to be a strong pull for both of them -- and for Brady to remain a NEP. But with each passing season, it makes sense that Brady would be taking more steps to increase his leverage to do this on his own terms. And that seems to be what he's doing here.
Well that's why I cited the years involved, figured that went without saying.Satchel Paige of course had another thing driving him in his senior for baseball years, and that was of course MLB’s exclusion of Blacks until 1947. He probably felt he had something to prove, since he was hidden from the limelight until he was 41. He still put up 8.9 BWAR in his 5+ years. Tom has nothing to prove, just that he apparently has trouble letting go. We’re lucky he’s that way.
Corrections officers at max security prisons will tell you that even the most violent, hardened inmates generally start chilling out by around 40 years of age.He's backed off a bit from the "play until 45" more recently. His tune now is more along the lines of "retirement is something I think about, and it will happen when it happens. But I'm still here".
Granted it's a different sport and body type, but you may recall the effort that David Ortiz said he would go through to get ready to play during his last season when he was 40, and he said it was clear he couldn't do it any more after that season. Avacado milkshakes notwithstanding, there is only so much even Tom Brady is willing to go through to get his body to cooperate.
I do agree that the longer he plays, the more likely his career will end in a fizzle (or an injury) rather than a bang, and the less likely it will be with New England. But there is a non-zero chance he could decide to hang them up before then for the reasons stated.
This is consistent with everything I've read about Brady. It's not about wanting to accomplish something specific or make more money or prove people wrong or prove anything to anybody. He just loves it. Not just playing Sundays, but practicing, watching film, working out, perfecting his craft, etc. His best friend was his QB coach and now his best friend is his personal trainer.From an article in the Athletic with a bunch of Browns' guys talking about Brady, this is Aaron Shea, Brady's old BFF from Michigan and a former TE and front office guy with the Browns:
Shea said he regularly talks with Brady about when he might retire. Brady’s answer: “Do you like what you’re doing right now?”
“I would tell him, no, there is nothing better than playing,” Shea said. “And he’d tell me: ‘That’s my point. There’s nothing I’d rather do than play football.’”
The hell with Schefter and click-baiting stories, I'll believe Brady is retiring when it happens. Until then, enjoy every single game he plays.
Couldn't the not talking about 45 specifically anymore be because, at 42, 45 is very much in sight and he wants to leave open the possibility of playing longer than that?He's backed off a bit from the "play until 45" more recently. His tune now is more along the lines of "retirement is something I think about, and it will happen when it happens. But I'm still here".
Uh, they kind of have? No offense, but only weirdos think about stuff like Johnny Unitas playing for the Chargers. 99.9% of the public thought around these players involves the good stuff that made them legends. I'm almost 40 and I barely know what you're talking about, and I post here.I dont know how a season of mediocrity would affect his overall legacy, but the images of Unitas with the Chargers, Namath with the Rams, and Mays stumbling around in CF for the '73 Mets have not been swept away by the rest of their respective careers.
Uh, they kind of have? No offense, but only weirdos think about stuff like Johnny Unitas playing for the Chargers. 99.9% of the public thought around these players involves the good stuff that made them legends. I'm almost 40 and I barely know what you're talking about, and I post here.