Brady discusses in the documentary “The Dynasty” why he terminated his 20-year career as a Patriot and departed for Tampa Bay after winning six Super Bowls.
The recent success of Baker Mayfield and Tom Brady makes it easy for the average NFL fan to forget how bad the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback position was for the better part of the previous two decades.
Veterans such as Brian Griese, Jeff Garcia, Josh McCown, and Ryan Fitzpatrick were all used at various stages, but none were particularly successful. The Bucs tried twice to choose a franchise quarterback, first with Josh Freeman and later with Jameis Winston, but neither worked out.
Winston was by far the Bucs’ most successful quarterback throughout that period. He started 72 games and completed 61.3% of his throws, totaling 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns, and 88 interceptions for an 86.9 passer rating.
Although Winston was able to display his skill in the NFL, garnering 5,100+ passing yards in 2019, he did it with a league-leading 626 pass attempts and 30 interceptions.
Despite the promise, Winston appeared to have reached the limit of his abilities for the Bucs. That encouraged the organization to go all in and sign Tom Brady when the opportunity arose, a move that helped propel the franchise to its second Super Bowl championship.
We now have a better understanding of why he departed New England to lead the Bucs to the promised land.
Tom Brady discusses why he left New England before joining Tampa Bay in 2020.
While Brady’s three-year stint in Tampa Bay is impressive, most NFL fans, commentators, and players are still puzzled why he left New England in the first place. There was a lot of speculation, but no one had officially addressed the issue.
In the new documentary “The Dynasty,” which recounts the rise and collapse of those great Patriots teams, Brady finally clarifies the record.
“We did what we loved and competed for 20 years together,” Brady went on to say. “But I was not going to sign another deal [in New England], even if I wanted to play until I was 50. Based on how things had gone, I was not going to join up for any more of it.”
At 43 years old, Brady was just incredible in his first season as a Buccaneer, completing 65.7% of his throws for 4,633 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 102.2 passer rating.
With an 11-5 regular-season record, Tampa Bay won the NFC South division title and hosted the Wild Card game against Washington, which marked the start of a fantastic playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl LVI victory. To do so, Brady led Tampa Bay to victories over Washington, New Orleans, Green Bay, and Kansas City, securing the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.
To no surprise, Brady played a key role in their successful postseason run, completing 58.7% of his throws for 1,061 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 98.1 passer rating.
The following season, Brady was perhaps better than the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning season, throwing for league-leading 5,136 passing yards and 43 touchdowns against 12 interceptions on 67.5% completion to lead the NFC South to a 13-4 regular-season record. Brady placed second in the NFL AP MVP award and third in the NFL OPOY, while also being named to the All-Pro Second Team and earning his 15th Pro Bowl selection.
After his contract expired in March 2022, Brady signed a one-year, $25 million deal to return to Tampa Bay for one more season. In 2022, Brady completed 66.8% of his passes for 4,694 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine.
Interceptions and a 90.7 passer rating helped the team finish 8-9 and go to the playoffs as the fourth seed.
According to the documentary, Brady was the only renowned Patriot who faced such challenges. Legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski, specialist Matthew Slater, and wide receiver Wes Welker reportedly discussed the difficulties of playing for Belichick and how “brutal” Brady was handled near the end.
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