Tom Brady's Days In New England are Over

A new era is about to begin in the NFL and in New England.

Tom Brady, the winner of six Super Bowl championships, three League MVPs, and total domination of the AFC East - and the AFC in general for that matter for the better part of 20 years is leaving New England.

As of 12 noon on March 17, Brady hasn't signed elsewhere yet, but the rumors are flying around that he could be going to Tampa Bay or the LA Chargers. There is even rumors that the Miami Dolphins might be jumping into the mix at the 11th hour.

It is going to be fascinating to see how the Patriots respond. Bill Belichick, who built his success as a head coach around Brady, has a reputation of finding ways to win without his top players. Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Teddy Bruschi, Jamie Collins, we can up and down the list of players who have come and gone in New England and STILL the Patriots have found ways to win.

That will be tested now with the biggest fish in the Patriots pond now elsewhere.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, or Panthers quarterback Cam Newton are on the market and could be part of a trade to take over for Brady. Either would stabilize the situation until the Patriots find the next franchise quarterback either in this year's draft or next. 

Sure Patriots fans will point to the 2008 season when New England won 11 games with Matt Cassell with Brady out for the season with an Achilles tendon tear. Then again, if you look at Belichick's record pre-Brady, it isn't very good. Before Brady took over in Week 3 of the 2001 season for an injured Drew Bledsoe, Belichick was 5-13 as Patriots head coach.

This could very well be the end of the Patriots dynasty. Certainly, they are no longer a guarantee to win 12 to 13 games a year, and the AFC East will be more competitive. The Buffalo Bills are automatically the favorites in the division. The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets are still twisting in the wind of mediocrity, but even their chances to make the playoffs increase with Brady out in Foxboro.

Then again, things change if the Dolphins decide to drop their rebuild plans, kick out Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen and sign Brady. That would be incredible.

Still it seems the likely destination for TB12 is Tampa. The Bucs are prepared to offer Brady $30 million or more on a short term deal. The Bucs need steady quarterback play, and they rather go with a 43-year former Super Bowl MVP than continue with Jamies Winston who has been a turnover machine. It's a great risk for Tampa in a division still heavily dominated by the New Orleans Saints.

Is Tampa a good fit for Brady? It's hard to picture it. Brady has no familiarity with anyone in Tampa, and never played for Bucs coach Bruce Arians.  The Bucs are still in re-building mode.

Meanwhile, the Chargers have interesting pieces, but is Brady at this stage of his career that much of an upgrade from 38-year old Philip Rivers?

The ball is in Brady's court. For some odd reason he feels disrespected and wants to be paid boatloads of money. If only someone could convince Brady of the obvious -- he has nothing left to prove. He's done it.