Tom Brady and Bill Belichick talked on the phone but the conversation wasn’t productive, according to media reports. Brady is to become a free agent on March 18.
As the days go by, the "Tom Brady 2020 Watch" continues to look more like a soap opera. On this day, the news isn’t particularly good for the Patriots.
According to two reports, by NBC Sports Boston and the Boston Herald, Brady and New England head coach Bill Belichick spoke on the phone Tuesday but it doesn’t appear that the conversation was fruitful.
According to the Boston Herald, citing a source, the conversation "didn’t go well." According to NBC Sports Boston, the talk "wasn’t particularly productive" as Belichick "was all business."
Representatives of the Patriots and Brady still have not met in person to discuss a new contract. A report had stated that it could happen at the NFL Combine but they never met in Indianapolis. The phone conversation Tuesday presumably was the first contact between the two parties regarding a new deal. Brady is to become a free agent on March 18.
That means there’s time for both parties to come together. It’s assumed that Brady wants to be back in Foxboro. It’s thought that the Patriots want him back. It’s been reported, however, that Brady wants to see more offensive weapons next season. The quarterback was clearly frustrated in 2019. Belichick undoubtedly will try to improve the Patriots for 2020 but he needs to convince Brady to trust his vision.
The two sides also need to come together on money and contract years. Last summer, Brady wanted multiple years on his extension. The Pats did not come through with that, so Brady signed a one-year deal, with two voidable years added on, that would allow him to test free agency this offseason. That brings us to today.
On March 16, teams may start to "legally" tamper with free agents such as Brady. Multiple teams apparently are lined up to seek Brady’s services. The Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans are said to be interested in pursuing the veteran quarterback. On Tuesday, it was rumored that the San Francisco 49ers also might be interested in Brady. Although they have Jimmy Garoppolo under contract, the team could get out of the deal with a small cap hit of $4.2 million.
While there are a lot of rumors are circulating about Brady, whether any of the above teams are actually interested or just trying to drive up the price on Brady’s next contract remains a mystery.
Last week in Indianapolis, multiple coaches made it apparent that they would like to have Brady on their team. Bucs coach Bruce Arians, for example, said he would pick up the phone and call when free agency started. "Tom Brady," Arians said. "Philip [Rivers] is another guy. We’ll see."
Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was asked if he preferred a mobile quarterback over Brady. His response was telling: "I’ve heard that, too. I prefer a winning quarterback,. You don’t have to be mobile. I believe that guy in New England won a lot and he’s not very mobile."
Although Wednesday’s report wasn’t positive for the Brady-Patriots relationship, it should be noted that there is still time for a deal to get done. They also have not met in person. There are 20 years of history between these parties. Until this is ironed out, the drama will continue.
mdaniels@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ