FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A pivotal AFC East battle with the Bills. A season-ending tilt with Brian Flores and Miami that is likely to have playoff seeding implications. Two vital closing games on the schedule.
And they could be the final times Tom Brady leads the team out of the tunnel and quarterbacks the Patriots at home during the regular season.
The key word is could, because no one knows for sure where Brady is going to end up in 2020. Of course, he could still land in the same place he’s been the past 20 seasons, where he’s won six Super Bowls and established a legacy as the greatest of all time.
He might return to the Patriots if a suitable contract is worked out. And all the angst about his future will be just that, angst.
But at the moment, among the list of his end-game possibilities, a Brady return is not the leader in the clubhouse.
The option that seemed unthinkable for the longest time is the one that’s gained the most traction – Brady might be headed to another team. His father, Tom, told the Boston Herald recently he couldn’t imagine his son playing for a team other than the Patriots, but also recalled Joe Montana not finishing his career with the 49ers.
There’s already been speculation about the top destinations where Brady could wind up, and which teams would be lined up to bid on him as a free agent.
The third possibility? At age 42, he’ll simply retire. He’ll decide against hitting his desired playing goal of 45 and ride off into the sunset.
The point?
With two out of the three options have him no longer wearing a Patriots uniform next season, that puts these games into greater context beyond their significance to the 2019 playoffs.
These moments could be the last for a player who has had a huge hand in establishing the championship identity of the franchise.
Is anyone really ready for this? It probably hasn’t sunk in, because the underlying belief is Brady wouldn’t want to leave and start over, and that team owner Robert Kraft is going to ultimately save the day at the eleventh hour.
Perhaps that’s how it will play out, but that’s not how it’s currently trending. ESPN analyst Damien Woody, a former Patriot and teammate of Brady, agreed.
“No one knows 100 percent, but if I had to lean one way, I’m leaning toward him not being back in New England next year. And I’m not sure the people in New England are bracing for the reality this might be the last time you see Tom Brady in a Patriots uniform,” Woody said. “There’s three options, and two of them don’t have him existing in New England. So it just seems to me, people are just taking it for granted he’s going to be back, when there are a lot of signs pointing in the other direction.”
So this is a time to enjoy whatever ride is left from No. 12. Even if the offense no longer resembles a unit that used to dominate defenses, maybe he’ll author a few more moments for the scrapbooks.
It’s been well-chronicled how much he’s struggled this year with inferior weapons and an offensive line that’s caused him more duress than in previous seasons, as well as his own physical ailments.
Lately, he’s been dealing with a cranky throwing elbow after banging it on the helmet of Kansas City linebacker Reggie Ragland two weeks ago. His usual precision and accuracy have been off since then. According to reports from Tuesday, Brady’s elbow is better and there should no longer be any issues. We’ll see.
As it is, he threw for a season-low 128 yards against the Bengals on Sunday with an 86.6 passer rating. It marked the fifth straight game where he failed to complete 56 percent of his passes.
Brady hasn’t been up to par, but given the significance of the remaining games, there’s still time for him to pull out a little more Brady magic. That’s what happened last season en route to a sixth championship.
“I think Tom is the most popular person in New England. I don’t even think it’s close. I think they love the excellence he’s brought to that franchise,” Woody said when asked to sum up Brady’s impact on the Patriots. “It’s going to be hard to match it. Think about what he’s done in his career, in a salary cap era. It’s unreal, the consecutive 10-win seasons, the consecutive years winning the AFC East, the number of Super Bowls, the amount of times he’s won the Super Bowl?
“For him to be at the head of it, along with Coach (Bill) Belichick, when I sit back and think about it, it’s mind-boggling. I mean, there are greats, and then there’s Tom Brady.”
Tune in. What plays out in the next few weeks could be his farewell to New England.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.