Since Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago, there's been plenty of speculation about why he made the stunning decision to end his New England Patriots tenure.
Perhaps it's as simple as Brady wanting a change of scenery after 20 years in Foxboro. Or maybe it was about the Patriots' lack of offensive firepower, which was evident throughout the 2020 campaign.
New England didn't exactly go all out to keep their six-time Super Bowl champion QB, either. As our own Tom E. Curran has noted, the Patriots made it clear to Brady over the last few years they weren't in it with him for the long-haul anymore.
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Another popular theory, however, is Brady had enough of Bill Belichick's strict coaching style. ESPN's Ian O'Connor added fuel to that fire Sunday in an article that documents the Buccaneers' pursuit of Brady in free agency. O'Connor notes Brady was "Belichick'd out" after 20 years and wanted to play for a player's coach like Bruce Arians.
Here's the full excerpt from O'Connor's piece:
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Measured against Belichick, Arians is a stand-up comic with a funny-looking cap and a strange way of managing defeat. "Win or lose, we booze," is Arians' oft-stated philosophy. Though people close to Brady believe that he was looking for a little more humanity in his coaching ("Tom was Belichick'd out after 20 years," said one friend), and that Arians' let's-grab-a-couple-beers-and-sneak-in-nine-holes approach will be a welcome change, some league officials who know all parties wonder how Brady will adjust to a head coach who doesn't quite match Belichick's maniacal hours or attention to detail.
Arians' style is a complete 180 from Belichick's, so it's certainly going to be interesting to see how Brady fits in an entirely different environment. It'll either be a breath of fresh air for the 42-year-old QB, or he'll soon find out that the grass is always greener on the other side.
As for how Belichick and the Patriots will proceed without Brady, that remains to be seen. As of now, it looks like they'll roll with 2019 fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham. They also have veteran Brian Hoyer in the QB room (again) and could look to add another young arm via the 2020 NFL Draft.
