NFL Legend Joe Montana Reveals Why Tom Brady Left Patriots

Tom Brady decided to leave the New England Patriots back in March and hasn't given an apparent reason why he's not returning to a place he called home since 2000. However, NFL legend Joe Montana believes he knows the reason why Brady decided to leave. The Pro Football Hall of Famer appeared on The Jake Asman Show in Houston and said he spoke to Brady while the two were at the Super Bowl earlier this year.

"I don't think he was happy with the way things were progressing there, and his ability to have input and I think that was a big decision for him to make, to leave there," Montana said who, like Brady, is on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Montana also said that he was "shocked" that the Patriots let Brady walk, and he thought they would do everything they could to try to keep him there. But as surprised Montana was to see Brady leave, he's happy he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"When you look at it, they got a pretty good defense," Montana added. "They got a lot of offensive weapons. Then you throw him and (Rob Gronkowski) in the mix, it's going to be an interesting season if it goes on." Montana's conversation with Brady happened six weeks before he made a move to sign with the Bucs. That means it's likely he knew what he was going to do well before the announcement was made in March. Additionally, what Montana said matches up with what has been reported by different outlets. When Brady officially signed with the Bucs, he didn't dive into leaving the Patriots when talking to reporters. However, he did reveal why he signed with a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in over 10 years.

"There were a lot of things that really were intriguing to me about the organization – the players, and the coaches, and the willingness of everyone to try to accomplish the goal of what playing football is, which is to win," Brady said. "I'm going to try to do everything I can in my position and what I'm responsible for to make that happen. And I've got to trust that everyone else is doing the exact same thing. In that part, it's no different than what I've experienced for 20 years in my own role."

Brady and the Bucs will kick off the 2020 season on Sept. 13 when they face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. With Brady on the roster, the Bucs are considered a dark-horse candidate to win the Super Bowl.