New England Patriots: 5 things we learned in Tom Brady interview

Brady knew he was leaving entering 2019

For a while Patriots fans pleaded ignorance and couldn’t imagine a world where Tom Brady wasn’t on the team. Then in March, our world came crashing down. Brady put out that letter and said he wasn’t coming back.

Looking back things can seem a lot more clearer. We should have realized once the season started and Brady didn’t have a deal that things weren’t looking good. Even before all the public comments and rumors we should have known that Tom Brady wasn’t coming back.

Brady said that entering the season he had a feeling he wasn’t coming back.

Now this has caused some to question Brady’s motivation for 2019. Why would he be invested in a team that won’t be bringing him back?

Brady had plenty of motivation entering the season. He had to prove that he was still a capable quarterback and could help another team improve. If he was playing lackadaisical and causing problems he simply would have nowhere to play. Most likely he would have been forced to sign a cheap deal with New England or be forced to retire.

Basically, Brady saw the writing on the wall. Fans ignored it until the last possible moment. If Brady was going to return, the Patriots would have signed him to a new deal prior to the season.