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Patriots reporter claims Bill Belichick "never believed" Tom Brady would actually leave the team
As soon as Bill Belichick announced he was leaving the Patriots last month, countless bombshell reports and rumors began flooding out of New England, most of which painted him in a bad light.
Besides the alleged tension between him and Robert Kraft, much of the conversation involved the handling of Tom Brady and his departure from the team in 2020, a situation that most believed happened due to Belichick.
The expose pieces published since his press conference have doubled down on that, claiming the head coach had been ready to move on from the quarterback for years leading up to his eventual exit. But now, NBC Sports Boston's Tom Curran, in a piece published earlier this week, has revealed a new detail.
According to the longtime Patriots reporter, Belichick never believed Brady would leave New England, despite his desire to see him go. Sources even said he spoke to the quarterback in the days before the announcement of him leaving as if he were still on the team and not a pending free agent.
“Belichick never truly believed Brady would leave. Even when the two men met just days before Brady’s contract expired, sources said Belichick said the Patriots couldn’t carry a salary cap hit of more than $22.5 million.”
Considering how the whole situation transpired, it's odd to think Belichick didn't see the inevitable fate of his desires and behavior. If he was unwilling to pay Brady what he was worth and build a competent offense around him, why would he choose to stay?
Clearly, he was wrong about Brady never leaving, as he did in March of 2020. He then went on to prove the Patriots had no reason to have turned their backs on him even more by winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers during his first season there.
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