Tom Brady Knew He Was Leaving New England In 2019, Why Buccaneers QB Left Patriots

There were signs in August that Tom Brady was preparing to leave the New England Patriots. The quarterback restructured his contract in order to allow himself to become a free agent in the 2020 offseason, and he put his Brookline, Massachusetts home up for sale.

Seven months later, Brady inked a two-year, $50 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ending his 20-year career with the Patriots.

“I don't think there was a final, final decision until it happened, but I would say I probably knew before the start of last season that it was my last year [in New England],” Brady said on SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show” Wednesday morning. “I knew that our time was coming to an end.”

Brady made nine Super Bowl appearances and won six championships in New England. Along with head coach Bill Belichick, the 42-year-old helped create the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

Even in a disappointing 2019 campaign that saw the Patriots lose in the first round of the playoffs, New England went 12-4 and won its 11th straight AFC East championship. Brady now joins a Tampa Bay team that had a 7-9 record last year, posting its third straight losing season.

The Buccaneers haven’t made the playoffs in 12 years, giving them the longest postseason drought of any NFC team.

“I never cared about legacy. I never once when I was in high school said, ‘Man, I can’t wait for what my football legacy looks like.’ That’s just not me. That’s not my personality,” Brady told Stern.

“So why would I choose a different place? It’s because it was just time. I don’t know what to say other than that. I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible organization, an incredible group of people, and that will never change.”

Brady threw for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions and an 88.0 passer rating last season.