Joe Montana Advises Tom Brady Not to Leave Patriots Ahead of 2020 Free Agency

NFL legend Joe Montana has a simple piece of advice for Tom Brady ahead of his pending free agency this offseason—stay in New England. 

Montana spoke about Brady with Michael Silver of NFL.com, telling Silver he'd advise Brady not to leave the Patriots:

"Don't—if you don't have to. It's a process to go through, and it takes time to get used to the team. I was fortunate because (former 49ers quarterbacks coach) Paul Hackett was there running the offense, and so I was pretty familiar with probably three-quarters of the offense going in. And, if they let [Brady] have his own offense (with a new team), yeah, that makes it a little bit easier. But still, the transition of moving ... I just can't see how they would let him leave there, myself."

Montana was speaking about his own experience going from the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent the first 14 years of his career, to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the final two:

"It's not easy to go to another team and get accepted, no matter how much success you've had and how many years you've played. They still want to see you come in and be the same player and be that loyal to them as you were to the other team you just left. So, it's not easy (for) guys looking at that change, especially at the quarterback position."

It would be hard to imagine Brady leaving the Patriots, the team he's led for 20 years. And if there was anyone's advice worth heeding, it would be Montana's. He was one of the few quarterbacks in NFL history with a resume that comes close to the one Brady has built:

• Montana: Hall of Fame, four titles, eight Pro Bowl selections, two-time MVP, three first-team All-Pro selections, 20th in passing yards (40,551), 17th in passing touchdowns (273).
• Brady: Future Hall of Famer, six titles, 14 Pro Bowl selections, three-time MVP, three first-team All-Pro selections, second in passing yards (74,571), second in passing touchdowns (541).

One footnote to Montana's advice, however, is that Montana did have success with the Chiefs, leading them to the AFC Championship in the 1993 season and the playoffs in 1994. 

"Kansas City, you know, took me on when, everyone thought, may have thought, I was done playing at the time," he said. "Great organization, crazy-good fans, we had a really good team also at the same time. ... I just never thought I'd leave San Francisco. But Jerry (Rice) followed me, and Ronnie (Lott left after the '90 season). It comes a time in everyone's career, I think."

At this point, the only iconic Patriots figures left standing are Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. It would be odd to see one without the other, the greatest quarterback in NFL history paired with the greatest coach. But with Brady set to hit free agency, never has the possibility of that pair severing ties been greater.