Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are set to take part in their eighth Super Bowl together on Sunday, and the rumblings that it could be the final game with the New England Patriots for one or both of the future Hall of Famers have not completely disappeared. But they probably should.
As ESPN’s Dianna Russini noted on Sunday morning, there are still some people around the NFL who believe both Brady and Belichick could retire after Super Bowl LII.
Right now on @espn NFL Countdown it’s brought to light about what many in the league have been hearing which this game could possibly be both Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s final games. Both could be hanging it up. Post game could be incredible tonight if this becomes truth.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) February 4, 2018
There are a number of reasons why that makes virtually no sense. The most obvious is that the Patriots just traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round draft pick. If they were less than 100 percent certain that Brady would return in 2018, why would they have unloaded Garoppolo?
Also, Brady’s entire personal brand now hinges on him playing well into his 40s. He and personal trainer Alex Guerrero plan to run the TB12 performance institute well after Brady’s playing days are over, and the brand becomes stronger and the methods more trusted the longer Brady plays at a high level. Brady has said in the past that he will retire when he feels he’s not getting the job done, and he was just named the NFL MVP.
Belichick seems more likely to leave the Patriots after the season than Brady, but all indications have been that he’s not going anywhere. While Brady and Belichick riding off into the sunset together would make for a dramatic storyline, there’s almost no chance it is going to happen.
