When Seth Wickersham of ESPN reported back in January that serious cracks had developed in the perennially successful relationship between Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady
Rashaan Melvin Jersey , Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, it seemed odd to think that something that had worked so well for
18 years would suddenly not be working.
But something’s missing all right, as evidenced by the fact that Brady isn’t working. With every other starting quarterback fully engaged in his team’s
offseason program, Brady remains absent, possibly for a variety of reasons that
include his low pay in relation to the dramatic increase in the market since he
signed his most recent deal, the still-unexplained decision to bench cornerback
Malcolm Butler for Super Bowl LII (possibly keeping Brady from a sixth ring
despite throwing for 505 yards that day), and the reality that nearly two
decades of dealing with Belichick may be much more than enough.
Despite having a reputation for being loose and funny when away from football
Len Dawson Jersey , Belichick has always been all business when it comes to the game that he coaches. He keeps all players beyond arm’s length, because he
knows that, throughout their careers, he’ll have to make detached, objective,
emotionless decisions regarding whether to keep them around. For almost all of
them, at some point the decision will be to move on.
From the moment Tom Brady became the starter, Brady has been dreading the moment that Belichick decides to do to Brady what Belichick did to Drew Bledsoe
after Brady became an unlikely Super Bowl champion in early 2002. And Brady
consistently has taken less than he could have gotten not just to ensure that
more cash and cap space will be available for other players but to help ensure
that Belichick will never decide in any given offseason that it makes sense to
dump Brady’s contract for a younger and cheaper player.
After 18 years of it
Adam Humphries Jersey , Brady possibly has decided that he’s done tiptoeing around the guy whom Bill Parcells dubbed “Doom” because of his
fatalistic demeanor.
Remember when Richard Sherman suggested that Pete Carroll’s routine had gotten stale and tired? Sherman had been dealing with Carroll, who is the
anti-Doom, since 2011 — a full eleven years after Brady became introduced to
Belichick and his methods. The fact that Brady possibly has decided after 18
years that he’s had enough doom and gloom is far less significant than the fact
that it took him a full 18 years of coexisting with Belichick to get to this
point.
Suddenly, Brady seems to be giving off the “life’s too short to waste on you” vibe toward Belichick. For now, Brady is manifesting those apparent feelings by
staying away. But what happens when he shows up?
Will Brady be as deferential as he always has been? Will there be even more friction, especially if Belichick tries to needle him about not being present
for OTAs?
Many think the intrigue will be over when Brady finally reports for mandatory minicamp and/or training camp. It could be that the fun will only be
beginning.
NEW YORK JETS (5-11)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: QB Josh McCown; CB Morris Claiborne; C Wesley Johnson, TEs Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Chris Gragg; LBs Demario Davis, Bruce
Carter
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Harrison, Ben Ijalana and Dakota Dozier.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: WR Quincy Enunwa; S Rontez Miles; OL Brent Qvale; TE Neal Sterling; DL Xavier Cooper.
NEEDS: It's all about finding quarterback, running theme for this franchise for, well, decades. New York will be in Kirk Cousins sweepstakes and has money
it would take to land him. But will the former Washington QB want team that has
failed to make playoffs for seven straight seasons and underwent massive rebuild
last year? Jets have new offensive coordinator in former QBs coach Jeremy Bates,
who runs Mike and Kyle Shanahan-style system Cousins learned during his first
two seasons in league. If Jets whiff on Cousins, there's good chance McCown will
be back to mentor whomever New York takes with its first draft pick at No. 6
overall. Plenty of holes elsewhere
Jarius Wright Jersey , although Jets are interested in re-signing Claiborne, Seferian-Jenkins and Davis as core players. Help on offensive line, namely at
center, proven pass rusher and cornerback will also be high priorities for GM
Mike Maccagnan. Running back Matt Forte is retired, so Jets might look for some
depth in backfield, as well as on defensive line after releasing disappointing
Muhammad Wilkerson.
AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $90 million.
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