Tom Brady will be wearing different team colors this fall. After announcing he’s leaving the New England Patriots last week, Brady announced he signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be their new starting quarterback. It was a surprising move considering Brady spent the last 20 seasons in New England and appeared in nine Super Bowls while winning six of them. However, when Brady held his conference call with reporters he explained why he decided to join the Bucs.
“It’s an exciting moment for me in my life,” Brady said when talking about free agency via USA Today. He also said, “Entering something that’s obviously very unique to me – first time it’s happened in 20 years. I’m kinda taking it day by day.” Brady agreed to a two-year $50 million deal with the Bucs which could be as much as $59 million if he meets all of his incentives. Brady will miss being in New England, but he explained what intrigued him about the Bucs.
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“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,” he added. “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 didn’t go into detail about why he didn’t want to be a member of the Pats, but he did reveal he made the decision to leave on March 16 when he went to team owner Robert Kraft’s home. Head coach Bill Belichick was also notified that Brady wasn’t returning. When talking about the Patriots, Brady said: “There’s nobody who’s been a bigger fan of the New England Patriots than me. … I have so many great relationships that will be maintained.”
The Buccaneers haven’t had the same success as the Patriots over the last two decades. Since 2001, the Pats have missed the playoffs only twice (2002 and 2008) while the Bucs, who won the Super Bowl in 2002, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2007.
