Belichick: Tom Brady leaving Patriots in 2020 was 'absolutely the right thing for him to do'

Tom Brady left New England in March 2020 to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ending the Patriots’ two-decade dynasty. New England struggled afterward, posting a 29-38 record over the next four seasons with only one playoff appearance, before Belichick and the team parted ways in January 2024. Brady succeeded in Tampa, winning Super Bowl LV over the Chiefs in January 2021 and maintaining high performance through his retirement after the 2022 season. In three seasons with Tampa, Brady completed 66.7% of passes for 14,643 yards, with 108 touchdowns and 33 interceptions, and finished second in MVP voting in 2021. Belichick said Brady’s departure was the right decision because New England did not have a good team in 2020 and much of the roster had already left or was about to leave.

"“Tom leaving was absolutely the right thing for him to do,” Belichick said. “We didn't have a good team in 2020. We just didn't have a good football team. We had all those guys that left - [Rob] Gronkowski and [Julian] Edelman. Most of our team was gone. [Devin] McCourty and a few others were still there, but they were about to go too. We were just at the end.”"

"“And honestly, I was happy for him that things worked out well for him in Tampa, because he was with a team ... and then he went on and won. That made me happy for him, because Tom - it wouldn't have gone well in 2020 in New England. On this, I can guarantee that.”"

"The New England Patriots' two-decade dynasty came to a close in March 2020 after Tom Brady left New England to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a devastating shift of fortunes for New England and head coach Bill Belichick, with the Patriots going 29-38 over the next four seasons with just one playoff appearance before Belichick and New England “parted ways” in January 2024."

"Meanwhile, Brady played another three seasons in Tampa, winning Super Bowl LV over the Chiefs in January 2021 and continuing to play at a high level up to his retirement after the 2022 season. Over his three years in Tampa, Brady completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 14,643 yards with 108 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He finished in second place in MVP voting in 2021."

Read at Boston.com