The New England Patriots' loss in the first playoff round to the Tennessee Titans not only brought an end to a dynasty that has been dominating the NFL for the last decade and a half but also raises a number of questions with regards to Tom Brady's future with the Massachusetts NFL franchise.
Brady leaving the Patriots is not certain at the moment, but it is possible that the six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback could look for a new challenge away from Boston after spending his entire career with the franchise. Former Pats quarterback Drew Bledsoe admitted that coach Bill Belichick and Brady could be intrigued to see if either can add another championship ring without the other on the same team.
Thanking Patriots faithful
The 42-year-old made it clear in a recent post when he thanked the Patriots faithful that he had no intention to retire, which leaves questions about his decision when he enters free agency in March. Brady will become a free agent for the first time in his career and will not have to any more discounts to stay with the Patriots, and many believe he could decide to look for a new challenge and build a team around him at another franchise.
Patriots Hall of Famer Tedy Bruschi is among the people who believe Brady has it in him to walkaway from his comfort zone and take on the challenge of leading another franchise. He believes the quarterback still has the fire in him to start afresh at another team but believes he could take a few players with him.
Brady in jersey other than Patriots'?
"I can see him doing that," Bruschi said, as quoted on NESN. "I think he has the courage to do it. I still think he has the fire to do it. And that is the thing too, think about the fire that is still inside that player, that is inside of Tom. He believes that he can do anything — he can go somewhere and convince maybe some guys to come with him and form a team and start something fresh, start something new and he can win a championship there. That is probably how his mind thinks."
It will be strange to see Brady in anything other than a Patriots jersey next season, but after dominating the NFL for the last decade and a half, the future Hall of Famer could decide to cut the strings and join a new team for the 2020-21 campaign.
