What is Tom Brady waiting for?
The New England Patriots quarterback can negotiate a new contract with coach Bill Belichick. But to this point, there has been little conversation between the two parties, according to multiple reports. With the NFL’s tampering period approaching on Monday, Brady and Belichick are running out of time before Brady hits free agency.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has a theory on what’s holding up Brady and Belichick.
“The friction that exists between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is real,” Smith said on ESPN on “First Take” on Monday. “And it’s not real from the perspective of: ‘We dislike each other, whatever the case may be.’ Bill Belichick is perceived throughout NFL circles as being somebody with a very, very high IQ and a very, very low EQ. He’s not the most personable dude in the world. He’s not the kind of guy that can go to you and is like, ‘I love you. I value you. I appreciate you. Please stay. We love you. We want you to be here.’ That ain’t Bill Belichick. And because he severely lacks those interpersonal skills to ingratiate himself with another human being, even if it’s a quarterback that’s taken them to nine Super Bowls and won six Super Bowl titles for him — because he can’t do that, it’s virtually impossible for Mr. (Robert) Kraft or anybody else to step in without Bill Belichick doing it.
“The thing about Tom Brady is that for really the first time in his career, he’s pretty much demanding that, from what I’m being told. He’s demanding that, ‘Wait a minute. Enough with all of this. This man needs to come here and convince me that he wants me to be here. I don’t need to be here anymore if he doesn’t want me here.’ And that is what Tom Brady is looking for from Bill Belichick. That is what the Patriots are looking for from Bill Belichick.
“So it comes down to, from what I’m told: Bill Belichick going to Tom Brady and saying, ‘I really want you to stay.’ That’s all it would take. But it’s a very, very, very big ask for somebody whose interpersonal skills are as challenged as Bill Belichick’s.”
