(I was saving this for tomorrow but draft research is taking me longer and longer so we'll run RBs on Saturday/Sunday.)
Look, I think we can all admit that the "reasons" Tom Brady does anything — from skipping OTAs to now skipping out of Brookline for St. Jetersberg — are moving targets. Depending on what's going on at the time and who he's talking to, Brady's stated motivations publicly and through acolytes can change direction as quickly as a Julian Edelman on an option route.
I mean, if you believe the only or biggest reason Brady stopped showing up in the offseason was marital/family issues, and that it was "just time" for him to leave New England, then I have some prime mangrove swamps down the street from the Bradys to sell you.
I mean, Brady just needed his freedom ... to market himself.
https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1248615739021340672
But in the end, this was actually the right move for Brady — and took Brett Lorenzo Favre to bring it home for me.
We'll get to that in a second, but first some words on Brady's shifting reasoning for ... well, a lot of things.
As far as why Brady started ghosting the Patriots from March-June, the No. 1 reason was the contract and the lack of dedication and loyalty shown by Bill Belichick despite Brady proving himself on the field again and again. If Belichick wasn't going to be dedicated to Brady, then why should the QB keep up his dedication by showing up every offseason and grinding away? If Belichick was going to pay Brady part-time money and provide no security, then Brady was going to be a part-time QB. That is by far the biggest reason why Brady stopped showing up.
You'll also notice, if you were paying attention, that Gisele's issues in the marriage surfaced at the same time Brady was pouring more time and effort into his TB12 brand. For years, Brady's obsession with football worked in the family dynamic. But that changed suddenly. Why? Once building the TB12 empire took over the offseason — books, speaking engagements, opening locations, training staff, $127 bags of nuts — then it was all too much. Brady even admitted it.
"A couple years ago, she didn’t feel I was doing my part for the family,” Brady told Howard Stern. “She felt like I would play football all season and she would take care of the house and then all of a sudden when the season would end, that I’d be like, ‘Great, let me get into all my other business activities. Let me get into my football training.’ And she’s sitting there going, ‘Well, when are you going to do things for the house? When are you going to take the kids to school and do that?’"
Instead of just football and family dividing Brady's time, it was football/family/TB12 and at that point, something had to go. Guess which one it was? The place where he wasn't having fun and wasn't being appreciated, according to Gisele's confessional in Tom vs. Time.
Why Brady is now with the Buccaneers is also a moving goalpost. It wasn't "just time." If Belichick had just given Brady a five-year contract extension in 2017 to take him to 45 like most other teams would for a franchise icon, then Brady would still be here. If Belichick just offered a two-year deal this offseason, gave a little ground on some other things, Brady would still be here and talking about showing up at OTAs.
So let's not get things confused.
That being said, I've come around to believe that it was the right decision for Brady to leave. Not for the fans or the Patriots, for Brady.
It really didn't hit home for me until I re-read a story I did on Brett Favre entering the Hall of Fame and my remembrances of covering him.
For most of the (2007) season, I had little doubt Favre would return for a 17th season with the Packers. He was playing great, the coaches and front office wanted him back and he wasn’t beaten down. He was fresh because the game, after a regime change and rebuilding period, had become easy again. The Packers were young and talented, so why walk away?
The first doubts I had came the week of the NFC Championship Game. Favre no longer looked like he had discovered the fountain of youth. He appeared tired. Worn out.