Reminder: Tom Brady still has a big decision to make
The future of the greatest athlete of his generation hangs in the balance, even if all eyes aren't on him.
COMMENTARY
You really didn’t think Brady Watch 2020 would get canceled too, did you?
In the midst of every other organized sport in America putting a hold on things due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the NFL will proceed with the official start of its free agency period as scheduled. Which, of course, means, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career on Wednesday.
There’s nothing normal about that, or anything else at the moment. No March Madness. No Celtics-Bucks. No West Coast road trip for the Bruins.
Brady isn’t the only one in uncharted territory.
These aren’t anyone’s preferred circumstances, but Brady will get to make his decision without any other sports distractions. The NFL, a league that, mind you, has denied the realities of concussions and CTE for years, plans to continue with business as usual, even as the the rest of the sports landscape goes silent. America’s Game and all.
There’s part of me though that wonders whether or not the PR-conscious Brady might leave us dangling in the breeze a bit longer than just this week. Some of that might be in wait-and-see mode for where this unprecedented stretch brings us all. Or maybe it means the man has absolutely no clue what his playing future holds in 2020 and beyond.
What will travel limits mean for Brady’s ability to meet with teams over the coming days? And what will our public health consciousness level be at within a week? Can you imagine a world where Tom Brady’s Decision comes with a shrug of the shoulders due to real life?
Even in their own, glorified views of themselves, sports voluntarily took a secondary status this week. Brady may end up doing the same.
In the 10 weeks since Brady Watch became a thing, nobody could have ever predicted we’d come to this fork. Then again, it’s not like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were ever really a general consensus as a team that made sense for Brady. Strange times.
If the last two days have shown us anything, it’s that we can’t predict minute-to-minute what developments lay in our collective futures. Declaring with any faux certainty where Tom Brady is going to land is a foolhardy exercise.
In a way, maybe Brady’s potential departure from the New England Patriots fits in with the rest of the chaos. If these coming weeks are going to give us moments for pause and immersion into reality, then perhaps Brady signing with somebody else is just another chapter of it all.
There’s definitely a balance of head and heart to consider for any team when it comes to Brady, which reflects many of the decisions made by organizations in every facet of our lives. Human normalcy is a difficult thing to immediately turn our backs on. Existence outside of the bubble we’ve managed to erect for ourselves is unyielding.
Brady, at the money he’s likely seeking, makes sense for the Tennessee Titans or the Buccaneers. For New England, the mind has to take precedence over the character of what the team has been over the last two decades. Signing Brady for two years with the cap inability to build with the weapons he so desperately thirsts for surrounding him sounds more like an investment into the past.
The Patriots had the oldest roster in the NFL last season, no doubt seesawed a bit by the presence of their 42-year-old quarterback, but also a definitive sign that the team needs to start building for the next phase of its existence. Tossing all your chips into the legacy of your quarterback and the tools he needs for “one more run” could derail any long-term sustainability that the Patriots need to investigate at some point. The post-Brady days are going to happen, eventually, whether that begins next week or in 2023.
I mean, what better time to have that truth smack you in the face than right now? Just another chapter in the week that was.
In a perfect world, it’s 2014 forever. Brady is at his peak, the Patriots are just about to begin the second leg of their dynasty, and it seems as if the rotation of dominance will never come to an end in New England.
The actuality is something different.
Tom Brady playing with somebody other than the New England Patriots didn’t seem like it would be the strangest sports affair to happen this year, but here we are.
In this bizarre period of our lives though, it seems like it might be the natural, next step. What’s good for us isn’t always something we want. Take a look around.
Brady Watch. Still on. Panic accordingly.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com