Tom Brady knew before the start of last season that it likely was his last ride in New England.
“I knew that our time was coming to an end,” the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said during an appearance Wednesday on “The Howard Stern Show” on SiriusXM.
After 20 seasons and a record six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, Brady told Stern “it was just time” to move on.
“I don’t know what to say other than that,” Brady said. “I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible organization, an incredible group of people, and that will never change. No one can ever take that away from me, no one can ever take those experiences or Super Bowl championships away from us.”
Brady, 42, talked at length about his relationship with New England head coach Bill Belichick, who, like Brady, arrived in New England in 2000. He insisted he harbors no resentment toward Belichick over how his tenure with the Patriots ended.
“No, absolutely not,” Brady said. “No, because this is a part for me, in my life, to experience something very different. There are ways for me to grow and evolve in a different way that I haven’t had the opportunity to do — that aren’t right or wrong, but just right for me.”
Stern also asked Brady if he was concerned that joining a Buccaneers team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2007 might impact his legacy.
“I never cared about legacy,” he said. “I could give a s— about that. I never once, when I was in high school, said, ‘Man, I can’t wait for what my football legacy looks like.’ That’s just not me. That’s just not my personality.”
Brady signed a two-year, $50 million deal with Tampa Bay last month. The 14-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time MVP ranks second all-time in passing yards (74,571) and touchdowns (541).
–Field Level Media
