TB12 to TB

Last week we finally found out where Tom Brady was going to call home and that place is Tampa Bay. In all honesty, it came as a bit of a surprise to me. I'm not at all surprised that he left New England. I knew that he was going to leave this offseason but I never imagined that Tampa Bay was in the mix. When I did my research for my last post on where he was going to end up, Tampa wasn't even in the conversation. They didn't even end up in the conversation until about a week or two leading up to free agency.

My feelings towards this really shouldn't surprise anyone. I'm not at all upset about this move. I'm extremely happy for Brady and completely respect the man. He is doing everything for his family and himself and I completely admire that. After years of taking paycuts so that other players could be paid, Brady deserves to be paid very well. Signing with Tampa Bay, he's getting just that. The quarterback signed a 2-year contract worth $50 million is FULLY GUARANTEED. That is less than what he was offered last year with New England. The contract also has a no tag or no trade guideline to it meaning he cannot be tagged or traded obviously. This clause is huge for Brady. This means that unless he retires within that two years, Brady WILL remain a Buccaneer. When Brady and New England restructured his contract last season, Brady was adamant that they add that in his contract then as well so that he could become an unrestricted free agent in the 2020 free agency so at the end of the 2021 season he can then do the same.

The question now is will I root for Brady as a Buccaneer and the Patriots like many did for the Colts and Manning? No. I wish the best for Brady always in his future as a football player and I love what he has done for New England football. However, I did not become a Patriots fan because of Brady. I am a Patriots' fan first and foremost. Win or lose, I will always root for New England. New England can have a 0-16 season and I will still be a diehard fan. Hell, I would still get new tattoos if they lost like that but I cannot just root for two different teams. TB12 is tattooed on my body and I will always root for him to succeed but that chapter has ended.

To the Patriots' fans that are calling Brady a traitor for moving on and signing with a new team: how can you look at yourselves in the mirror? He is doing what is best for himself and his family. Football is a game and a sport. This is a job to him. This isn't something that he does to please you. Get over yourselves and get the fuck over it. Life goes on. Brady left. We all knew this day was coming and guess what?! Belichick is going to leave one day too and there is not a goddamn thing you can do about it.