Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady left the Patriots after nearly two decades, but he’s revealed he stays invested in the team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to steal Tom Brady from the New England Patriots in 2020, his first-ever move in his NFL career. This was exciting for the Bucs but certainly upsetting for the Patriots as the leader and powerhouse for nearly two decades was moving on.
Or so it seemed he was moving on. His days in New England may be over, but he revealed on his Let’s Go! podcast that he’s still keeping tabs on the team and how they do every single week each season.
Brady revealed, “I just watch that team every week, and I’m impressed with how they prepare and the accountability that that organization has had. It always starts at the top.”
There’s no surprise that Brady is still tied to New England despite parting ways. As a sixth-round draft pick in 2000, not many saw the potential in him. He didn’t seem to be a player to watch coming out of college, but he had one of the most iconic breakthroughs in NFL history, creating a true dynasty and becoming one of the best quarterbacks of all time. The Patriots took a chance on him and let him become the legendary player he is today.
He left New England on good terms, and he still seems to respect his roots. He holds high admiration for Bill Belichick and it’d only make sense for him to want a team that did so much for him to continue his legacy.
Tom Brady’s legacy in New England has been difficult to continue
The Pats made the playoff all but two seasons with Brady, and he carried them to six Super Bowl wins. Of course, that’s a lot to expect from a team with new talent. However, since Brady’s departure, New England has only been to one playoff in the 2021-2022 season and didn’t make it past the WildCard round.
Mac Jones has been the main replacement for Brady, and he’s been mostly successful but doesn’t quite measure up to what Brady has. Over the past season and a half that Jones has been with the Patriots, he’s had a completion percentage of 67.2 over 4,941 yards and has thrown 26 touchdowns. He’s been sacked 43 times.
He still has a lot of room to grow, despite some solid stats. However, he needs to start tapping into the potential he showed as a rookie.
It’s extremely difficult to play up to the caliber of Brady, widely considered the ‘greatest of all time,’ but the road to success that the Pats enjoyed for nearly two decades is unfortunately much harder to find now.