Bill Belichick opened up about Tom Brady’s decision to leave the Patriots in 2020 after 20 years and six Super Bowl titles.
Gary Myers, the author of, “Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate,” spoke to Belichick about the decision that altered the franchise. The legendary coach called it an “impossible situation in New England.”
“He absolutely made the right decision. We could not put a good team around him,” Belichick told Myers, as published by The Boston Globe. “Financially, after stretching for ten years, we ran out of cap space and had to rebuild the team; 2019 was our last real opportunity to win; 2020 was a rebuild, and we were back in the playoffs in 2021.”
The Tennessee Titans upset the Patriots in the AFC Wild Card Game — Brady’s last in a Patriots uniform. After years of consistently taking team-friendly deals that allowed the Patriots to build a strong roster around him, the quarterback announced two months later he’d continue his career elsewhere before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady immediately won his seventh Super Bowl, while the Patriots struggled in 2020 and missed the playoffs. They returned to the postseason the following season with Mac Jones under center, but were eliminated in the Wild Card round after a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Patriots haven’t been back to the playoffs since 2021, and Belichick has since left the franchise.
In March, Brady admitted there was “natural tension” between him and Belichick that could only be resolved “by some kind of split or one of us reassessing our priorities.”
Despite the tension, the two continuously spoke highly of one another, and Belichick honored the quarterback at Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction in the summer of 2024.
“Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate" will be released on Sept. 16.
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