Tom Brady announced Tuesday that he would leave Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, thus ending the most successful run in NFL history.
“They’re the greatest duo in the history of the National Football League, and I don’t think it can ever be [beat],” former Patriots quarterback Damon Huard said on The Zach Gelb Show. “Six Super Bowls, there’s no way. No chance. [To spend] 20 years together and to have that kind of working relationship is just unbelievable.”
Brady, who turns 43 in August, will reportedly sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for significantly more money than the Patriots were willing to offer. One must wonder if certain Patriots will feel resentment toward Belichick for not doing whatever he had to do to keep Brady in New England
“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of guys disappointed,” Huard said. “Resentment, is that the word? I think it all depends what kind of start they get off to. If they’re a winning football team, that puts to bed all those thoughts and feelings and any kind of resentment that would be from the situation, but certainly there’s going to be guys that played with Tom on that roster for a long time that are probably going to want some answers. But winning is what cures everything in the National Football League. I would think most of that resentment will go away if indeed the Patriots can continue their winning ways.”
Without Brady, the Patriots, as of now, will turn to Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2019.
“If there’s any organization out there that does their homework on quarterbacks, it’s fair to say the Patriots do it the best,” Huard said. “If they’re going to draft a guy – I don’t care what round it is. If they’re drafting a quarterback, they’re going to think that he has a chance. I thought he performed well. He was incredible in the preseason for the Patriots when he’s played, and we’ll see. I would bet he’s going to get a pretty good crack at this thing. There’s no doubt. They’ll probably bring in some veteran at a reasonable price. Nothing is going to be handed to any of these guys. It’s ultimately going to come down to competition.”