Patriots: Russell Wilson-Seahawks drama should make fans appreciate Brady-Belichick run even more
By Jerry Trotta
The New England Patriots should thank their lucky stars for Brady-Belichick.
The offseason of unparalleled quarterback movement has already lived up to expectations, and while it’s been relatively quiet on that front in recent days, there figures to be at least a handful of more gunslingers who could end up on different teams in the coming weeks and months.
It remains to be seen if the New England Patriots will end up playing a role in the sweepstakes, but reports indicate they considered, albeit in delicate fashion, a deal for both Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz.
Ultimately, however, they were repulsed by their respective trade prices.
Another quarterback rumored to be growing frustrated with his current situation is Seahawks star Russell Wilson, who, though he hasn’t demanded a trade and even reportedly informed Seattle he would prefer to continue playing for him, has leaked to his agent teams who he would consider if a trade ended up being consummated.
We would personally love if the Patriots went all out in a pursuit to acquire Wilson, but this new development has left us with another perspective amid all this quarterback turmoil: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick deserve more appreciation for lasting as long as they did together.
The longevity of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s relationship deserves more credit.
The fact that a quarterback as flexible and self-sacrificing as Wilson is seemingly on the verge of wanting out of Seattle just proves that Brady and Belichick’s run should be held in higher regard.
Think about it for a second. If there was any veteran QB in the league who we thought would never endure a falling out (not that it’s reached that point yet) with his current organization, it’s Wilson.
When you consider the seven-time Pro Bowler’s infectious personality and the upstanding manner in which he’s carried himself through adversity over the years — not to mention how much he’s adored by the fan base and city of Seattle — not in a million years would we have anticipated this level of obscurity regarding his future with the franchise.
And he’s not asking for much, after all.
Though Brady and Belichick were reportedly incompatible, or close to it, over the former’s final two years with the Patriots, the fact that they lasted two decades together — AND had all of that success — without either one threatening to leave over a power struggle is an achievement that deserves more recognition.
Maybe not as much as their record-setting six championships as quarterback and head coach warrants, but you get the point.
We hate to get ahead of ourselves, but recognizing that Wilson is on the cusp of losing his patience with the Seahawks confirms that Brady and Belichick’s 20-year partnership isn’t going to be threatened … maybe ever.