Whose fault is the Tom Brady/New England Patriots breakup?

After 20 fantastic years together, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have officially broken up. Who is more at fault here, Brady or the Patriots?

It’s over. The Tom Brady/Bill Belichick New England Patriots dynasty is dead. No, it’s not just because the Evil Empire fell at home in January to the No. 6-seed Tennessee Titans, it’s because Brady has played his last game in Patriots uniform. After 20 years of being a faithful servant in The Patriot Way, Brady plans to take his talents to the Florida Gulf Coast.

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Mark Carman discuss who was more at fault here in this breakup. Was it Brady wanting out or was the Patriots organization not wanting to bring its greatest player in franchise history back on a new contract? Here is what the guys had to say about this epic parting of ways in New England. (3:20)

Verderame feels both parties are at fault here. If Brady really wanted to go back to the Patriots, he wouldn’t have tested unrestricted free agency in the first place. Had New England been willing to wine and dine Brady and give him one last big contract, then he may have very well returned to the Patriots organization. So it’s easy to place blame on both sides in this football divorce.

The real big key here is Belichick is in his late 60s. We get the Patriots are retooling their roster, but he’s not going to be around coaching in Foxborough for another decade. He’s going to want to retire, go somewhere warm and be done with football. In the meantime, both future Pro Football Hall of Famers will try to see who can win a Super Bowl without the other first. Ready, set, go!

No, this isn’t the first time a star player still had something left in the tank and Belichick willingly let the guy walk a few years early. He’d rather see a guy succeed elsewhere for a year or so than be a lesser version of himself in Patriots uniform. At its very core, this is Patriot Way in its essence.

It has always been like this in New England under Belichick and he’s treating Brady no different here. The Patriots weren’t going to let him play until he was 45-years-old in Foxborough anyway. So at this time, let’s let both parties go their separate ways and reflect back fondly on all they’ve accomplished in 20 years. Both will have success in the coming years. It just won’t be together.

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• Tom Brady leaves New England Patriots (0:45)
• Coronavirus talk (21:35)
• What are the Dallas Cowboys doing? (32:20)
• Kirk Cousins screwed by the Minnesota Vikings? (38:25)

All this and more!

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