During the final episode of the second season of 4th and Goal, I mentioned how Ben and myself were on #TomWatch to begin the NFL offseason. For the first time in his 20 year career, Tom Brady will not be a member of the New England Patriots to begin an offseason. Growing up, there were always guarantees: Waking up and going to school, hanging out with my friends on Friday nights, and working at my dads restaurant- but Tom Brady being the Quarterback for the greatest football franchise in NFL history is what kept life at its normality.
However, as I write this at the age of 23, the guarantees have stayed the same but with a twist. Instead of waking up every morning and heading to school, it has now become a full-time 9-5 job, and hanging out with friends on Friday nights has evolved to see each other at the bars to enjoy some #FridayBeers. Now, Tom Brady being the greatest QB in NFL history, suiting up for a new franchise? Disgusting.
Tom Brady has become the single greatest, most dominant, record breaking, clutch, handsome NFL quarterback in history. Drafted at 199 in the 2000 NFL draft, it looked like the bench would be Brady's most frequent spot on the gridiron. He didn't sit long as franchise quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, remained motionless on the field after a Mo Lewis hit stick. Thomas Edward Brady rose to the occasion and did the unthinkable, leading New England to their first of many (six in fact) Super Bowls in his first season as a starter.
He gave life to a dormant title town. The Celtics were well past their championship days as Larry Bird was forced to retire early due to back problems and unfortunate luck with the rest of the franchise. The Bruins couldn't beat the Habs in a playoff series to save their lives, and how could we forget about the most cursed franchise at the time? The Boston Red Sox who traded their franchise player away which led to an 80+ year championship drought. Tom Brady was the medicine that this city needed.
I could go on and on about his accomplishments and what he has meant to an entire region of the country, but that is a conversation for another day. I am here to report my findings, thoughts, and opinions on them. Tom Brady potentially leaving the Patriots is a situation I never thought I would see except in Madden. If it becomes reality, well, on second thought... No, let's not think about that just yet. Why? Let me share.
Okay, so it has already been a hot start to the offseason for New England with the Super Bowl commercial panic attack courtesy of Hulu. I already knew you guys had live sports, why do you need to give me a heart attack informing me in the process. The Instagram post was a trick. Visiting schools in Tennessee was office gossip, sorry, but what hasn't been gossip? These few facts:
It came out before the Super Bowl that the Patriots were willing to offer Tom Brady upwards of $30 million- Something they have not done since Drew Bledsoe. Brady always took the hometown discount and his reward would be toys to play with. From vintage to new, Brady had an ample amount of weapons during his career. The best ranging from current and future Hall of Famers such as Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Mike Vrabel(one day). The worst being the likes of Jabbar Gaffney, Aaron "Drops them" Dobsin, and Chad Ochocinco who had more trouble memorizing the playbook than a second grader trying to learn cursive.
Receivers have come and gone, but Brady stays and plays. Even when every analyst reporter told him to retire and hang it up, he got back to the Super Bowl and finished 3-4 while doing so.
Brady has played in more Super Bowls than some of the greatest have won. Insanity.
This year didn't seem any different. Replace the old with the new: The Gronkmobile was put away in the shop, so let's get the Brown Clown car or the Gordon Wagon. But while maintaining the Edelman-cycle, those cars were recalled and replaced with hot garbage.
Along with having no one to throw the football to, the offensive line suffered by not giving King Brady enough time in the pocket. The historic defense began to collapse as they could not remain off the field for more than two drives. Brady became visibly angry and it showed. Hence, why Bob Kraft decided to take some money out of his emergency funds to please his favorite son.
Obviously, Brady does not want that much money. He demands upwards of $20M to consider staying in Foxboro and I agree with Tom. They took away any chance he had at another Super Bowl last season by not replacing Gronk and fixing the problem with the wide outs. Defense wins championships, but offense has to get you there.
While the news broke in the Commonwealth, the Raiders decided to make a bet of their own in the city of Las Vegas and offer (*not official but rumored*) close to $60M for two years. SIXTY. MILLION. DOLLARS. JESUS CHRIST!!
Now, that is a lot of money. Money that should be payed to a player like Pat Mahomes and not a 42 year old Tom Brady. With that report coming out, people have been thinking that this could become a possible landing spot for the first time free agent. He already has property in Las Vegas and could be moving out there for good. Let's just take a look at this from a football perspective.
Last season the Raiders finished 7-9 after hopes of a wild card spot vanished with two tough losses to end the season. Josh Jacobs being injured did not help that campaign either. Jon Gruden has changed the environment for the better, but is a few missing pieces away from a championship opportunity.
Derrick Carr is not the guy. I'm sorry, but he and Gruden clearly do not see eye to eye. Carr is a good quarterback but doesn't fit into the system. He finished 8th in completions, 2nd in completion percentage, and threw for 4000+ yards. Is that someone you have the chance to build a franchise around? Yes. However, the Gruden/Davis two headed monster does not agree. The Raiders will be shopping Carr around this offseason and in return, want someone build a winning culture. Brady has that experience, clearly, but does he fit into the puzzle?
The Raiders are a young team. As we saw on Hard Knocks last season, they have a lot of young talent ready to put their heads down and work for a Super Bowl winning head coach. Gruden has been there before and knows what it takes. With the young core that they have in Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller, they want a quarterback who can make them shine on and off the field; a leader who can rally the troops when the moment comes. Brady fits that mold, but is he too old for these young guns? Brady has one, MAYBE two years left before he rides off into the sunset with his super model wife (#Goals). Those three guys and the rest of the team need a franchise leader who is willing and able to be there through the best and worst times. Someone who can pick up his men when they're down and redirect them to the path of glory.
But, the Raiders offensive line who allowed the 8th fewest sacks and lowest amount of QB hits. A great set up for a veteran quarterback.
Solid counterpoint, but I will refer you to my last point. Gruden and his young core have a playbook that is very different from New England. Brady can have all the time in the world, but if the offense isn't on the same page, the walls will eventually crumble. Plus, Josh Jacobs is shaping into one of the premier young running backs in the NFL. He finished 8th in yards (1,150), top 20 in rushing touchdowns, and top 15 in yards/carry. He is on the track to be a workhorse running back who could be in the top tier conversation with Zeke, Saquon, and McCaffery in a years time. Why would you stunt that growth opportunity by having the greatest passing Quarterback of all time lead the charge with his ability to take over any game as well as finding open receivers. Jacobs is not much of a receiving back either. He only had 20 catches for a little over 160 yards all season. Brady is use to utilizing his half backs in the passing game with James White, Rex Burkhead, and at times, even god damn Brandon Bolden. This would throw the Raiders off the course of building a young, successful franchise. Then again, it would be very Raiders of them to do so.
I am still on the hunt for the next bit of information I can get my hands on about the next destination of Tom Brady's career. I pray that his train will be making a permanent stop in Foxboro, but nothing is certain until that happens. I will report back in the next few days with more information. Over and out.