Bedard: If Patriots want an answer from Tom Brady, he should go radio-silent

Word came today from the plugged-in Adam Schefter that the Patriots will likely want an answer from Tom Brady about his impending free agency before the tampering period begins on March 16.

“Here’s the situation: I don’t believe the New England Patriots are waiting until March 16 to get an answer from Tom Brady,” Schefter said. “Last year, Rob Gronkowski wound up retiring in late March. I don’t know the conversations they did and didn’t have before, but New England missed the window on free-agent tight ends. So I don’t think they’re going to let Tom Brady go to free agency, all of a sudden, sign with Team X, and then on March 20, say ‘Well, what do we do at quarterback now?’ That’s not the way that organization operates.”



If Schefter is right about the timeline, that means this:

March 15: Deadline for Brady to reach an extension with Patriots.
March 16, Midnight: Tampering period begins.
March 17: Brady's contract voids, meaning $13.5 million in dead cap in 2020 for Patriots.
March 18, 4 p.m.: New league year, free agency commences.

That seems all very convenient, all nice and tidy ... for the Patriots. It makes perfect sense for the team to want that.

There's only one problem with it: Brady shouldn't play ball with it. In fact, he should lose their number.

Why?

The team had its chance — several chances, actually — over the recent years to do right by Brady, show him the respect he deserved, and they declined to do it. Now, on the eve of him being a free agent for the first time and having all the leverage, now the team wants Brady to tell them what he's up to so they can better prepare?

Oh, that's rich.

I'm sure Brady wanted better weapons than Matt LaCosse, Mohamed Sanu and N'Keal Harry to work with in the postseason ... everyone has their hopes and dreams.

If the Patriots want an answer from Brady, they should do what they would have to do with any other important pending free agent: give him an offer that he'll agree to now, one that will preclude him from hearing what anyone else has to say.

Short of that, Brady shouldn't give the Patriots any answer. When the 508 area code pops up on his phone, Brady should decline the call and text back, "New phone, who dis?"

In 2017, off the Super Bowl win over the Falcons and being the NFL's MVP, Brady was not given the contract extension he desired that would assure he'd be the team's starting quarterback at least through the 2020 season — if not more. The Patriots didn't even get rid of Jimmy Garoppolo that offseason, either.

In 2018, with Brady being grossly underpaid for the first time in his career, the team only added $5 million in incentives that he didn't come close to reaching.

Then, this past offseason, the Patriots had a final chance to give Brady a real extension but the team declined to go beyond this season. So Brady told the team to void his contract after this season and take away the franchise tag.

Time and time again the Patriots have had a chance to give Brady — the player most responsible for untold millions and billions brought into the team's coffers over the years, and the player who always took less so the team could be better — and the team wouldn't do it.

Now, that same team thinks Brady should do them a solid and let them know what he's going to do before free agency starts?

Come on ...

If the Patriots want that answer from Brady sooner rather than later, there's only one way that should happen: by Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft asking Brady, "What would make you whole ... what can we do for you?" And then doing just that.

Otherwise, Brady should go radio silent to maximize his leverage over the Patriots. And make them play the game just like any other team.

Brady's been any other player the past two years on his contract. Turnabout is fair play.