Tom Brady leaving the Patriots for Tampa Bay is a catastrophic event that has devastated New England fans and shocked the NFL to its core.
The 42-year-old is heading to the Buccaneers on a $30 million a year contract after hitting free agency for the first time in his two-decade career.
Many fans had hoped he would play his entire tenure in a Patriots jersey and sign a two-year deal to stay at Gillette but sadly, it was not to be.
However, always one for silver linings, there are some albeit tenuous positives to come from the move as it starts what will probably be one of the most tumultuous eras in the Patriots’ recent memory.
Here’s some things to hang on to…
It should allow Brady to cement his legacy as the greatest
Tom Brady leaving the Patriots and heading to Tampa Bay should allow him to chase even more NFL records more effectively than he was able to do at New England.
The veteran quarterback who is the ultra competitor currently holds at least 54 NFL records including most Super Bowl rings and most overall touchdown passes.
With each game he plays, he is increasing his chance to cementing those records and adding to the list.
It’s obvious Brady would want to go to a team where he can surround himself with play-makers who will help him make this happen.
And why would Patriots fans not want him to secure his legacy as the greatest of all time?
By doing so, Brady would make sure the New England Patriots who hosted him for two decades are also permanently in the record books.
Tom Brady leaving the Patriots should prove he is not a system qb
Ask any Patriots fan what is the first thing out of a Brady critic’s mouth and they will tell you it’s that he is not the greatest and is simply a product of a good system.
He has been coached by one of the greatest to ever hold a clipboard in Bill Belichick.
And Brady has frequently been surrounded by incredibly reliable talent like Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss or Julian Edelman all brought together under some impressive schemes from the genius mind of Josh McDaniels.
But with Tom Brady leaving the Patriots, it gives the quarterback the chance to prove that he can be great just about anywhere.
And as Patriots’ fans are now inextricably linked to Tom Brady, of course we would want him to succeed.
Heck, if he can get the Buccaneers a ring surely that would be a big enough achievement to silence doubters permanently?
Things are about to get pretty exciting in Foxborough
For two decades, the New England Patriots have dominated the AFC in a way that no other team has before.
With 17 AFC East titles and nine AFC Championships, let’s just say that being a New England Patriot fan had become somewhat predictable.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that sentence written almost in the form of a complaint would anger many NFL fans.
But in the hunt for positives in a terrible situation, let’s count ourselves lucky that a seismic change such as our star quarterback leaving for another team will at least make things more interesting and less predictable next season.
We will no longer just assume we are heading to the playoffs and be disappointed with anything less.
Now, it will genuinely be exciting and rewarding to see how far the post-Brady Patriots will make it.
It gives younger Patriots fans a chance to prove themselves
For those of us who are fortunate enough to have only ever experienced the Tom Brady era in New England, we are often criticised for not being true fans.
Instead we are fans who were simply attracted to the pure talent of Brady and his winning ways.
Rolling our eyes, we protest that this simply isn’t true and insist we will always be Patriots fans.
Well – now is our time to prove that. This is a test of many Patriots fans and will separate the die-hards from the Brady supporters who will undoubtedly either start spewing vitriol towards him or follow him to Tampa and become Bucs fans. Tom Brady leaving the Patriots will thin the fan base.
But for those of us who simply love Boston sports and the New England Patriots, now is our time to silence those critics and stand by our team on the precipice of a new era.
Tom Brady leaving the Patriots is a huge challenge but one the Patriots can rise to.
What are your thoughts? Join the discussion by heading to our Facebook page.