The New England Patriots made it clear that they do not think Tom Brady is nearing the end of his playing career when they traded Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick, but it’s fair to wonder how long the team envisions the relationship lasting. Apparently, that is for Brady to decide.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media shared some insight on Tuesday into how the Patriots view the Brady situation going forward.
From a cold, cold place, I talk with @MikeGarafolo about #Patriots QB Tom Brady’s future and Gronk’s health pic.twitter.com/vEkhJnJEfy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2018
“From my understanding, the Patriots trust that Tom Brady will know when it is time to hang them up,” Rapoport said. “He will know and say, ‘Alright, I am not the Tom Brady I used to be. I’m not playing at that level. It is now time to walk away and give way to the successor.’”
Rapoport noted that the Patriots will likely look to draft Brady’s replacement this year or next year.
“One thing we know is the Patriots are not trading Tom Brady,” he added. “They are not going to release Tom Brady. This is going to be something where he’s going to get with them and decide it is time to walk away. It sounds like it’s going to be at least a couple more years.”
If Brady planned on retiring after the 2017 season, the Patriots would not have traded Garoppolo. The same would have been true if they thought Brady would leave after next season, as they probably would have just used the franchise tag on Garoppolo in that situation. Brady has said he wants to play until he’s 45, and he performed at an MVP level this year and led the Patriots to their eighth Super Bowl in the last 16 years.
For all we’ve heard about the ongoing drama behind the scenes with Brady and Bill Belichick, winning has always been the top priority for the best head coach-quarterback duo in NFL history. That shouldn’t change heading into next season and beyond.
