Patriots fans remain on edge as rumors and speculation continue to swirl about the future of Tom Brady, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 20-year NFL career.
The consternation rose Thursday when NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Brady's representation was meeting with clubs this week during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Rappaport reported that the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts were among the clubs engaged in conversation with Brady's camp. The Patriots had not begun to negotiate with the quarterback, he said.
Tom E. Curran, Patriots Insider for NBC Sports Boston, told NBC10 Boston and NECN he thought Brady "could be enticed to leave.
"More likely than not, he's playing elsewhere next season," Curran said.
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Adding fuel to the fire, Gisele Bundchen, Brady's wife, made cryptic comments while answering a question about where she would be living next year during an Instagram video.
"I don't know that yet," she said. "But hopefully somewhere nice and wherever my husband is happy playing. So we'll see."
Earlier Thursday, two reporters with ties to the team and Brady reported that things were not looking good for a possible return of the free agent quarterback.
It started with ESPN's Jeff Darlington on "Get Up" on Thursday morning. The NFL insider said he's now at the point where he would be "stunned" if Brady went back to New England.
He followed that up with a tweet saying that "there's still a chance," but that Brady is "looking forward to free agency."
About 10 minutes later, Boston Herald sports columnist Karen Guregian, who has covered the Patriots for years, said the team has yet to reach out to Brady to talk about a contract. Citing a source, she said "it's not looking good."
A report earlier this week from NFL Network's Rapoport indicated that the Patriots were expecting to talk with Brady's agent, Don Yee, during this week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
NFL free agency doesn't officially open until March 18, so we've likely got several more weeks of this. Buckle up, Patriots fans!
