ESPN Insider Says Numbers Favor Tom Brady Leaving Patriots

Adam Schefter is really hammering home the idea that Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots after this season.

As most people are aware, Brady’s contract is up after the 2019 season, meaning he’ll be a free agent for the first time in his 20-year career. One of three things could happen: Either Brady re-signs with New England, leaves for another team or just retires.

In other words, the percentages favor Brady leaving the Patriots for the first time, which ESPN insider Adam Schefter — the original person to propose the idea of Brady playing his final season in New England — makes very clear in his latest comments regarding Brady’s future.

“I don’t think that he knows what he’s going to do. I don’t know that (the Patriots) know what he’s going to do,” Schefter said. “But two of the three (say he’s leaving New England). The percentages are that he doesn’t come back. The percentages are that he moves on one way or another because there’s an equal chance that any of those happen at this point in time.

“And he is 42, and he’s not practicing as much, and his body is wearing down a little bit, which is natural. … Could you imagine what it’s like to be Tom Brady when you’ve been hit on Sunday and pummeled like that? It’s a tough challenge.”

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Brady Has Statistically Been a Bad QB in 2019

The Patriots are currently 10-3, losers of two straight games and Brady is easily having the worst statistical season of his career in years. The 42-year-old has thrown 19 touchdown passes against seven interceptions for an 86.5 quarterback rating, a 60.5 percent completion rate and just 6.7 yards per attempt.

His quarterback rating ranks 22nd, his completion percentage is 30th and his yards per attempt are 29th in the league.

If Brady wants to play next season, here is the problem the Patriots run into if they’re going to allow him to walk. First of all, you risk the fan backlash of allowing the greatest quarterback of all time to walk to another team. Secondly, the Patriots don’t have a backup QB option. The current backup is rookie fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham due to the fact that New England traded Jimmy Garoppolo years ago.

Lastly, the Patriots are still lacking in the receiving department. While Brady’s age, lack of accuracy and mobility don’t exactly help matters, who is to say that the next quarterback that the Patriots bring in will do any better considering their lack of talent at the receiver position?

The Patriots have to worry about the rest of this season, but they also have to worry about the future as time seems to be ticking on their aging quarterback.

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LT Supports Tom Brady Joining Chargers

Speaking of other NFL teams, the Los Angeles Chargers have been proposed as the favorite to sign Brady assuming he leaves New England. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports has proposed this theory and now Chargers great LaDainian Tomlinson is supporting this notion.

With Philip Rivers likely on his way out of Los Angeles — he too is in the final year of his deal — Tomlinson is in favor of signing the quarterback that knocked him out of the playoffs twice as a member of the Chargers.

Via Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire:

“I would be honored to have a guy of Tom’s pedigree, his intellect, his championship mettle to come lead our organization,” Tomlinson told Patriots Wire on Thursday during a call in promotion for Mission Tiger and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter. “He’d really show young guys how to get it done, what it’s like to be a champion. And so if Tom wants to come to the sunshine, I’m sure Gisele would love that. I think we would all love that.”

If Brady wants to play another season in the NFL, the Chargers may be his best bet — as weird as that sounds.

 

 

 

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