It's been five years since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick said goodbye after 20 years of rule in New England, and now Brady shares the secret behind that split.
In his “199” newsletter, Brady reveals that “tension” with longtime head coach Bill Belichick was at the heart of his decision to leave the Patriots.
“The reality was,” writes Brady. “Twenty years later, there was a natural tension between where Coach Belichick and I were heading towards our careers and the Patriots were moving as a franchise.
Consistent with Brady's math mind, he wrote in his newsletter that after assessing 20 factors, he decided to leave from New England. Among the factors were everything from the weather to the coaching staff.
“In the end, I chose Tampa almost five years ago because in tally it was highly regarded by New England along these 20 dimensions. It's far less complicated than that.”
Brady's system for key evaluation factors appears to have paid off.
He threw for over 14,000 yards and 108 touchdowns in his three years at Tampa, earning his seventh Super Bowl. The Patriots have not won a playoff game since Brady's departure. At the end of the 2023 season, Belichick was let go.
