NFL Rumors: Tom Brady’s Cryptic Post Sparks Speculation That He’s Done With The Patriots

Tom Brady’s social media post is setting the NFL rumor mill churning, with speculation that a cryptic picture posted on Thursday means that Brady’s time in New England has come to an end.

Brady took to Instagram and Twitter to share a black-and-white picture of himself walking down the tunnel toward the field in an empty Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. While the NFL All-Pro quarterback did not include any kind of caption, the immediate speculation was that Brady was saying goodbye to the Patriots and preparing to find a new team in free agency.

Many fans took to the comments section, calling on Brady to shed more light on exactly what he was trying to say. On Twitter, NFL insiders seemed to struggle to interpret what Brady’s picture signified.

us trying to figure out what @TomBrady's tweet means pic.twitter.com/ISe0I28wqx

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 30, 2020

Some believed it was clear that Brady was saying his time in New England had come to an end. His contract will void later this year, allowing Brady, for the first time in his career, to explore free agency.

There still appears to be a strong likelihood that Brady will end up back with the Patriots, even after testing the open market. This week, The Action Network tweeted odds on where Brady would be playing in the 2020 season, and the Patriots were still the far-and-away favorite.

But there have also been many hints that Brady could be leaving the Patriots. Both he and his longtime trainer put up their Boston-area homes for sale last year, and Brady would not commit to what he would be doing next year when pressed by reporters. Patriots coach Bill Belichick also refused to say what the team intended to do, saying they would be addressing the quarterback situation in the offseason.

If Brady does hit the open market, there would likely be a high demand for him. This week, Dale Arnold of WEEI reported that there could be close to a dozen teams interested in him — including a few that had already appeared set at quarterback.

“I have been told as many as 11 teams may have already indicated to the Brady camp that there is some interest. I have been told that the Redskins are interested. The next two probably would shock you, because I was told the Jets may be interested, and Joe Judge may be interested for the New York Giants,” Arnold said on Wednesday.

Brady has not yet shed any more light on the meaning of the cryptic social media posts.