The ripple effect of Tom Brady leaving New England
By John Buhler
The NFL needs a new villain
Breaking up Brady and Belichick in New England will have so many unintended consequences. The Patriots will fade back to mid-tier football brand, just like they were pre-Belichick. Whoever lands Brady will improve as a team. The AFC East will rejoice. AFC Super Bowl contenders will become more menacing, with new teams rising up from the Foxborough ashes. But we won’t have a villain.
That’s what the NFL will need, a villain. If the Dallas Cowboys can ever stop being an overhyped Jerry Jones sideshow, they’ll fit that bill as America’s Team we love to hate. The Raiders are at their best when they’re the heel of the NFL. However, they’ve been more like a weird uncle who doesn’t do email, forever trapped in yesteryear, than a competent football organization this century.
So if the Patriots fade into obscurity, the Cowboys continue to not play in NFC Championships and the Raiders continue to watch playoff games at home in January, who could replace the Evil Empire in the NFL?
People hate seeing teams they don’t root for win all the time, so maybe the Kansas City Chiefs become that with Patrick Mahomes? If people could turn on the Golden State Warriors, they could turn on Kansas City no problem. Everybody loves Andy Reid, but people love rooting against dynasties more than anything in sports. Why should they get to have all the fun anyway?
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Ultimately, the NFL is in a great spot when the inevitable Brady/New England divorce occurs. Some marriages aren’t meant to last, but the NFL will always be here. Mahomes will be the face of the league. He’ll sell jerseys like he’s Michael Jordan, moving more bottles of ketchup than Heinz. However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will need to find a new villain fast. Otherwise, it’s him.