It has been rumored for months, and now it may finally come to pass — Tom Brady parting ways with the New England Patriots.
The future Hall of Famer’s contract is set to void after this season, and both Brady and the Patriots had been noncommittal about whether he will be coming back. There was already rampant speculation that Brady may spend the end of his career with another team after he put his home up for sale last year, and NJ.com reported that evidence is now mounting that he will have a new team next year.
The report noted that the chatter about Brady leaving seems to be increasing, including a report from NBC Sports Boston that Tom and wife Gisele Bundchen are ready to leave New England.
“I was told today by a source the family is planning to leave the area,” reporter Gary Tanguay noted.
“The priority this time is to let the kids finish school this year, then they’re gone.”
Tanguay also reported that Brady is “embarrassed” by how little he makes compared to other quarterbacks in the league, with 13 quarterbacks having a higher annual average salary. For years, Brady reportedly took smaller contracts so the Patriots could build a contending team around him, but this year’s team faltered down the stretch and had significant struggles on offense. The team’s receiving corps was criticized for failing to gain separation and struggled with drops, which also contributed to speculation that the 42-year-old Brady may finally be hitting a wall.
There are already rumors about where Brady could end up next. As The Inquisitr reported, there was speculation that Brady may be considering a move to Las Vegas after he was seen chatting with Raiders owner Mark Davis at the UFC event on Saturday. Other reports have connected Brady to the Los Angeles Chargers, who could be looking for a new quarterback after Philip Rivers announced that he and his family were permanently relocating out of San Diego to live in Florida.
Brady repeatedly put off questions this season about where he would be playing next year, saying he wasn’t going to rush into any decisions.
“I think that has been a unique situation that I have been in because I think when you commit to a team for a certain amount of years you kind feel like [there is] the responsibility to always fulfill the contract,” Brady said earlier this year, via Pro Football Talk .