New England Patriots running back James White hopes like the rest of us that he’ll be catching balls from Tom Brady next season.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady certainly didn’t have many reliable options to throw the football to in 2019.
It wasn’t always that way though. At first, many assumed he’d still have most of the roster intact from the squad that won Super Bowl 53 following the 2018 season. Even after Rob Gronkowski retired, Josh Gordon got reinstated and then Antonio Brown got signed. All was rosy for the Patriots and for Brady for a week or so.
But it wasn’t long enough Gordon and Brown were both gone, Julian Edelman was banged up, and the Patriots’ offensive line was a mess. New England’s run game was pretty much MIA for the first half of the season as well, which put extra pressure on Brady to keep the passing game afloat.
Simply put, there weren’t enough pieces left around him in 2019 for the team to succeed.
One of the few reliable pieces Brady did have at his disposal was James White, the talented and trustworthy running back who excels at catching the ball out in space. In fact, one could make a pretty compelling argument that White is the second-most trusted pass-catcher on the current Patriots roster behind Edelman.
So with the strong bond established between Brady and White, is it possible that White maybe has some inside information or intelligence regarding Brady’s thinking as he potentially approaches free agency for the first time in his 20-year career?
Not at all.
“I hope he’s back, but honestly, I have no idea,” White told CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr on Friday. “The decision is up to him, and he’s earned that right. Whatever decision he makes, I’m happy for him.”
That seems to be the common consensus among Brady’s teammates this offseason. They all want him back in 2020 playing on the Patriots with them, but they all also recognize that he’s certainly earned the right to explore his options on the open market if he wants to.