247Sports Embed Resource
NFL legend Tom Brady has touched on his relationship with former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick since retirement, but never before has shared why he decided to end the marriage between the two future Hall of Famers in 2020 after six Super Bowl titles.
In this week's personal newsletter, Brady said signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came after the multi-time NFL MVP weighed the positive and negatives of a possible departure and ultimately, there were more drops in the bucket for the NFC South franchise.
"For me, it was a creeping decision that lived passively in the back of [my] mind for 2-3 years until March of 2020 when a whirlwind of a few days made me realize that a decision was coming sooner rather than later," Brady wrote in the newsletter. "The reality was, after twenty years together, a natural tension had developed between where Coach Belichick and I were headed in our careers, and where the Patriots were moving as a franchise. It was the kind of tension that could only be resolved by some kind of split or one of us reassessing our priorities."
Brady, who has spent the last few years with FOX as a gameday analyst, has said reports of a deteriorating relationship with Belichick were overblown. Belichick, who is approaching his first season as a college coach at North Carolina, was extremely complimentary of Brady after his exit.
"We always try to do what's best for the team to win. Everything we've done for the last 20 years, and rightfully so, was for Tom Brady," Belichick said. "Everything was dedicated to him other than the games he didn't play in. Like when (Matt) Cassel played or Jimmy (Garoppolo) and then Jacoby (Brissett) when Brady was suspended.
"There were times when we had to plan differently, but when your starting quarterback has things that he's good at or things that you can take advantage of then I think you try to take advantage of them."
RELATED: Belichick on transfer portal approach at UNC
After accepting the job with the Tar Heels, Belichick received a hearty congratulations from his former quarterback, who said North Carolina was getting "the best coach the NFL has ever seen."
Brady became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in October, a new business venture that could interrupt his role as a broadcaster for Fox Sports. Since becoming a minority owner, Brady followed strict rules – cannot criticize officials, cannot visit team facilities, cannot attend production meetings and more.
Get the latest basketball and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team today.
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract back in September 2024. The deal made him one of sport media's highest-paid figures.