Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announced that the next stage of his NFL career will take him away from the place he’s spent his entire professional life: New England.
Brady, the 42-year-old with six Super Bowl championships, is a free agent, which allows him to sign with any team he chooses. In a statement posted on social media Tuesday morning, the star quarterback signaled his intention to leave the Patriots after two decades on the team that drafted him out of the University of Michigan.
“Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for our incredible TEAM accomplishments. I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to know each and everyone of you, and to have the memories we’ve created together,” it read in part.
FOREVER A PATRIOT pic.twitter.com/QSBOJBs4uy
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 17, 2020
A number of teams have been linked to Brady in the event he decided to leave New England, including the Tennessee Titans, which ended the Patriots season last year in the playoffs and was expected to try to grab the former Patriots quarterback. The Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was a longtime teammate of Brady’s on the Patriots, and they were caught FaceTiming one another recently.
Instead of pursuing Brady, however, Tennessee opted to re-sign quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who had a breakout season for the team last year. Other possible destinations for Brady include the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The three-time NFL MVP became a free agent when the league’s 2020-2021 calendar year started on Monday. While he, and other free agents, are allowed to agree to contracts with new teams, they cannot become official until Wednesday. Despite his bombshell, there is still the possibility that Brady re-signs in New England after all.
This is a breaking story and will be updated …
