Tom Brady has been adamant for years that he is playing until he’s 45 years old. Yet every season the same question comes up: “Is this Tom Brady’s last year with New England or in the NFL”.
These rumors have been put into overdrive since August when, amidst contract talks, Brady and his wife Gisele Bünchden put their Brookline house up for sale.
Was this a negotiating tactic? Was Brady trying to show that he’s willing to leave the team unless they pay him what he’s worth? Unlikely, but ‘experts’ everywhere ran with it.
Later that month the quarterback signed a 2 year/$70 million contract extension. The conversation was almost certainly over, right? Not even close. It was later revealed that the terms of said deal state that his entire contract voids at the end of this league year.
Meaning the consensus ‘Greatest Quarterback of All Time’ will be a free agent.
Leaving many to ask: Would Tom Brady actually leave the New England Patriots? While Brady himself has brushed off the question, it hasn’t stopped reporters and journalists alike from assuming that a divorce between the two is imminent.
The NFL world was then sent into a frenzy after this:
"So if he's selling his home and his trainer is selling his home and he's voiding his contract, what does that tell you?"@AdamSchefter weighed in on Tom Brady's future, and whether or not it will continue to be with the Patriots. pic.twitter.com/rZnCVWMHkY
— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2019
Adam Schefter is the pinnacle of NFL reporters. When he talks, people listen. And everyone was listening when he said this.
The problem with this “report” from Schefter, is that it’s not much of a report at all. He’s simply stating facts about Brady’s situation and then giving his own opinion.
And in doing so, he was also making a couple very large assumptions. Saying that Brady himself set up the ‘out’ at the end of his contract with no proof to back it up is borderline irresponsible for someone in Schefter’s position. There has been no reports that Brady was the one who came up with that idea.
Additionally, assuming both he and his trainer, Alex Guerrero, are moving away in preparation for an impending split between team and quarterback was also an unprovable statement.
These assumptions and leaps in conclusion are fine when it’s between two friends on the couch watching football. But when someone with as much weight as Adam Schefter says these things, he should make sure he has all the facts.
And with the passion he showed when giving his opinion, NFL fans everywhere assumed he had some sort of scoop or knew something they didn’t. Schefter didn’t back down from this take either. He went on both talks shows and radio shows reiterating his point while saying, ”
You don’t need to take a lowly bloggers word for it either, Tom Brady himself addressed these comments and rumors:
🐐🗣️ Tom Brady isn't really sure why his future in New England is being questioned. (Ford Quote of Note: Presented by https://t.co/rL5IPTrPfe) pic.twitter.com/IyfDzwPf4x
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 25, 2019
Once again shrugging the questions and comments off as nothing. The same thing he’s been doing for years when people ask about his contract situation. Brady has always spoken highly about his trust in the Patriots organization and it’s never more prevalent than times like this when contracts or money come up.
And when it comes to selling his house, Brady addressed this in an interview way back in August.
“You shouldn’t read into anything. I think it takes a long time to sell a house. My house is a little bit of an expensive one so it doesn’t fly off the shelf in a couple of weeks.”
Brady also mentioned that he’s sold houses before without leaving the team. He sold his Los Angeles house to Dr. Dre.
And when it comes to Guerrero putting his house on the market at the same time? The trainer has already bought a new home in Plymouth, MA. Would Tom Brady’s closest friend and godfather of his child plan on staying in New England when his number one client plans on changing teams? Very unlikely.
At the end of the day, Brady hasn’t changed his outlook on his situation with the Patriots. Save for some comments on a WEEI interview where he was a bit more reflective, he still plans to play until 45. And the Patriots will keep him as long as he can win games.
Brady said it himself in 2014: “When I suck, I’ll retire.” And he’s not there….yet.
