The rift in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's two-year partnership was split long before the quarterback left the Patriots in Freedom Agency.
Looking back at the development of this year's NFL free agency In his 199 newsletterthe seven-time Super Bowl champion expanded his decision to sign with the Buccaneers in March 2020, bringing attention to “natural tensions” that developed alongside 72-year-old Belichick, and how the split has advanced.
“For me, it was a creepy decision that had been passively present in the depths of my mind for two or three years until March 2020. A few days of whirlwind made me realize that the decision was delayed and coming sooner,” said Brady, 47.
“The reality was that 20 years later, there was a natural tension between where Coach Belichick and I were heading towards our careers and where the Patriots were moving as a franchise.
Before Brady left, rumors of friction between the quarterback coach duo had been on the rise.
Brady, who won six Super Bowls with Belichick in New England, said that coaching was taken into consideration in his decision-making when he contemplated his future in Tampa Bay.
“When Tampa Bay entered the picture as a serious option for me, all I did over the next few days in March was to assess and reassess my priorities. Is it really important to me now, as someone headed into my 40s with a school-age child and a scar from a 20-year worth of fight? “…Tampa won a 3 with Bruce Arian.”
In his first season with the Buccaneers, the 47-year-old Brady gave the Chiefs a Super Bowl victory in February 2021.
The future Hall of Fame played two more seasons, the final under Arian's successor Todd Bowles before retiring in February 2023. He played a total of 23 seasons.
Brady returned to football in 2024 as Fox's lead NFL analyst, making his first Super Bowl call last month.
Meanwhile, Belichick and the Patriots parted ways in January 2024 after spending 24 seasons together.
The eight-time Super Bowl winner coach took a year off from the sideline and focused on sports media opportunities.
Almost a year after leaving New England, Belichick was hired to become the University of North Carolina's next soccer coach.
The Patriots hired former linebacker Jerod Mayo as Belichick's heir in January 2024, but fired him after a dark 4-13 campaign.
The organization once again turned its eyes to the alumni and hired Mike Vrabel as a substitute for Mayo.
