It was hard not to watch the primetime wild card playoff in Foxboro and not feel like it might be the end of an era. The New England Patriots were stunned on their home field by the Tennessee Titans 20-13, ending a streak that started in 2010 with them always making at least the AFC championship. Several of their top players will be free agents in 2020 after this, and among them will be their iconic quarterback Tom Brady.
Nobody wanted to believe the six-time Super Bowl champion would ever consider leaving the Patriots. However, the rumbling of a split has gone on for the better part of two years. Bill Belichick, despite having so much love for the quarterback, wants to prove his success is more about just having Brady. The same can be said for the QB himself. Some feel he wants to prove he can go win it with another team. Even with his 43rd birthday now on the horizon.
That might explain why he was noncommittal after the loss on Saturday. While he indicated leaving the Patriots is far from guaranteed, he did make it clear that he has no plans to retire. So unless some sort of agreement is worked out, he will become a true free agent this March.
Would Tom Brady even consider the Bears?
Nobody knows for sure if Brady has anything left in the tank at this point. His 209 yards and one interception against Tennessee made him look like a shell of his former self. Yet some think it was less him and more the Patriots’ lack of weapons that were the issue. Either way, if it does come to pass and Brady leaves, is a team like the Chicago Bears even an option?
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Well, they do have a few things in their favor. They have a great defense in place that would make his job a bit easier. Matt Nagy is an offensive-minded head coach who speaks quarterback. They also have Allen Robinson, an utterly dependable wide receiver Brady can lean on. However, there is also the lack of a running game and a questionable offensive line to think about too.
The truth is the Bears would be an option for Brady, but far from the most preferred. Looking at the landscape, teams like Indianapolis, Los Angeles (Chargers), and even Las Vegas seem like more palatable options from his perspective. One because of the warmer weather but also more favorable offensive lines or cache of weapons. The Colts are still searching for Andrew Luck’s replacement. Philip Rivers looks like he’s done in L.A. and Jon Gruden seems to be nearing a divorce with Derek Carr.
Anything is possible from the Bears’ perspective, but they would need a lot of things to go their way in order to make this happen. Including the idea that GM Ryan Pace is ready to move on from Mitch Trubisky. Something that has not looked like the case.
