New England Patriots Were Favourite To Retain Brady Before Playoffs; What Now?
Published on January 5th, 2020 10:58 am ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
Before Week 17 of the regular season, the New England Patriots were the leading favourites to retain the services of Tom Brady for the 2020 season. Sure, there were stories about Brady putting his house up for sale. There were rumours that Brady and his family would relocate on the West Coast. There were the continuing rumours that Brady and Belichick simply didn't see eye to eye anymore.
Having said all of that, nobody was expecting Brady to go anywhere, and the bookmakers agreed, making him a -265 favourite to remain in New England for the 2020 season. After all, why would Brady leave a dynasty when the Patriots were still winning? Practically everyone was expecting that the Patriots would roll through the playoffs and make another Super Bowl appearance.
Then, in Week 17, disaster struck in the form of a home loss to the Miami Dolphins. A loss like this would have been unimaginable in the past, though the Patriots found a way to blow their first-round bye.
Things turned from bad to worse in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, as the Patriots lost 20-13 to the Tennessee Titans at home. Sure, the Titans are much improved with Ryan Tannehill under center, but the Titans travelling to Foxboro to defeat the Patriots in January? This would have been nearly impossible just as recently as last year.
There have been instances in the past where people have declared the Patriots' dynasty dead, only for the team to come roaring back. Most noteworthy - a 2014 loss on Monday Night Football to the Kansas City Chiefs, where practically everybody in the media declared that the Patriots dynasty was dead. The Patriots would win multiple Super Bowls after that.
This time, however, things do feel different. Brady is clearly in decline. Julian Edelman is dropping balls at crucial times of the game. The mojo seems to be gone from the franchise.
-
Will Tom Brady return to the Patriots for another season? After all, Brady structured his contract so that he would be free and clear of the Patriots after this season. There is no contract option and no possibility of a tag. If Brady stays in New England, the two sides will need to agree to a deal.
Will Brady move his family to California and takes Rivers' job as the new QB of the Los Angeles Chargers? This seems like a dangerous proposition for Brady, and could easily turn into a Joe Montana/San Francisco 49ers type of situation - a legend labouring with a new team.
There is always the chance that Brady could just retire and move to the broadcast booth, or maybe just disappear from the spotlight. Or, thanks to the immense wealth that Brady and his wife possess, maybe they look to buy a stake in a team.
After the events of the past couple of weeks, Brady now seems like an underdog to return to the Patriots. Brady has indicated that he isn't ready to return yet - if he returns to the NFL and signs with a different team, the Chargers would likely be in the driver's seat to secure his services. If you scroll down the list of NFL teams, there are only a small handful that need a QB right now.
-
Will Brady return to the New England Patriots, retire or play with a team like the Los Angeles Chargers?
Update:
A major offshore sportsbook just released odds on Tom Brady, and they have him as a -200 favourite to return to the Patriots for the 2020 season.
