Tom Brady and Bill Belichick reportedly talked on the phone, but conversation wasn't productive. Brady will become a free agent on March 18.
As the days go by, ‘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 Bill Belichick finally spoke. Both stories say that the pair talked on the phone on 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.”
The Patriots and Brady still haven't met in person to discuss a new contract. There was a report that would happen at the NFL Combine, but they never met in Indy. This phone conversation, as we know, was the first contact between the two parties regarding a new deal. Brady is set 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 Patriot want him back. However, it's been reported that Brady wants to see more offensive weapons next season. The quarterback was clearly frustrated in 2019. Belichick will undoubtedly 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 years. Last summer, Brady wanted multiple years on his extension. The Pats didn't, 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 can start to ‘legally' tamper with the quarterback. However, it's already known that Brady has multiple teams lined up for his services. The Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all reportedly interested in Brady. On Tuesday, it was rumored that the San Francisco 49ers might also 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.
Truthfully, there are a lot of rumors about Brady right now. It's unknown if any of the above teams are actually interested or just trying to drive the price up on Brady's next contact.
Last week in Indianapolis, multiple coaches made it apparent they would like Brady on their team. Bucs coach Bruce Arians, for example, who 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. His response was telling.
“I've heard that, too. I prefer a winning quarterback,” Lynn said. “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 Patriots-Brady relationship, it should be noted that there is still time for a deal to get done. They also haven't met in person yet. There's 20 years of history between these parties.
We'll see if the two sides can iron this out. Until then, the drama continues.
mdaniels@providnecejournal.com
On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ