Terry Bradshaw: Tom Brady Must Have Felt 'Unappreciated' to Leave Patriots

Tom Brady's decision to leave the New England Patriots and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent reverberations around the NFL. 

And former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw believes Brady must have felt unappreciated to leave the Pats, as he told Ed Bouchette of The Athletic:

"I don't know what the hell Tom's doing. I think Tom, at 43, there has to be something going on for him to want to leave there, right? Gotta be. He's got to feel they don't want him, he's got to feel unappreciated, got to feel, 'I got to get out from underneath Bill Belichick.' He knows they're saying, 'Who was more important, the coach or the quarterback?' Has Robert Kraft come out and said, 'We want him back, we need him back, he's our guy?' Is anyone fighting for him? I haven't noticed any of that."

Kraft did tell NBC Sports' Peter King in early January that he hoped Brady returned to New England:

"Before the season started it was very important to Tom that he be free to do whatever he wanted at the end of the year. You know what I said to myself? That any person who plays 20 years for this team and helps us get to nine Super Bowls, and been really selfless, has earned that right. I love the young man like he's part of my family. Blood family. Anyone who's done that has earned the right to control his future after 20 years. And you know, my hope and prayer is number one, he play for the Patriots. Or number two, he retires. He has the freedom to decide what he wants to do and what’s in his own best personal interest."

The split in New England, however, appears to have been between Brady and Belichick.

According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham, "Brady told friends that he felt Belichick had taken the offense for granted because of how good it had been for so long" and that heading into this offseason, "To many of the executives who did due diligence, Brady seemed so driven by an animus toward Belichick that they couldn't tell if he actually wanted a fresh start or if he just needed leverage to force Kraft to step in."

But the debate will now turn to whether Brady needed Belichick, or whether Belichick needed Brady. Inevitably, there will be conversations about which man was more responsible for the six titles, nine Super Bowl trips and 11 straight AFC East titles. 

Was it Brady's mastery of the offense, his cool demeanor and clutch play, that was most responsible for all of that winning? Or was it Belichick's vigilant attention to detail, his ability to ignore nostalgia when it came to roster moves in favor of cold pragmatism, his brilliant defensive game plans? 

The truth is, it was likely both in equal measure. There aren't many champions in NFL history that didn't feature elite quarterback play. But the culture and consistency of New England doesn't happen without Belichick's coaching. 

And judging either man based on what happens in 2020 isn't exactly fair either. Brady will be 43 when the season starts—it's ridiculous to think he'll be as good as he was in his prime. Belichick may be transitioning from arguably the greatest quarterback of all time to Jarrett Stidham, the sort of adjustment that could make even the best coaches look bad. 

But yes, it appears that Brady's tenure in New England ended because he didn't feel properly appreciated (or compensated) late in his career. It remains to be seen if the two men will have a greater appreciation for one another once they are separated.