A few days ago, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana claimed that veteran quarterback Tom Brady told him regarding his displeasure with the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LIV. According to Montana, Brady informed him that the Patriots were not providing him a chance to input his own ideas on offense. Based on Montana’s claim, it looked like Brady was dead-set on leaving the Patriots in the offseason. However, the 43-year-old Brady clarified that it took a while for him to decide to leave the Patriots after 20 seasons in New England and join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a two-year deal worth $50 million.
"I thought long and hard about making the decision," the 43-year-old Brady said during an interview with NBC Sports' Peter King, per a report by Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. As part of his thought process, Brady said he listed 20 different things that were important and weighed it to things that are not so important. In the end, Brady said that joining the Buccaneers was a great opportunity. “If I think back at the decision, I am so happy with the decision I made,” said Brady, who left the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots for a team that has yet to make the postseason in over a decade.
Brady wants to do something different
Explaining further his decision to join the Buccaneers, Brady said he made the move because he wanted to do something different.
As a player, Brady said he’s excited about the opportunity to play for the Buccaneers organization, which “I feel like is committed to winning." Brady said he left the Patriots on great terms, adding that he has so much respect for everybody in the organization. Brady is expected to succeed with the Buccaneers as he is surrounded by young talents like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Brady also has his former Patriots teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement in the offseason for a chance to play with his close friend in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers’ backfield is also loaded with LeSean McCoy, Ronald Jones II, and rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn in their depth chart.
Brady fine with Arians' cussing
Earlier, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said that he treats Brady like everybody else, saying he cussed him once in a while if he’s not satisfied with what he’s doing. Many thought that it would pose a problem for Brady, especially with his stature as a six-time Super Bowl champion. But Brady, in reaction to a tweet by Sports Center about Arians’ cussing him, said in a tweet that “I’m used to it”. Maybe Brady is used to the cussing by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, whom he played for 20 years. According to Arians, he likes where Brady is now in terms of adjustment to his system at this stage of training camp.