The sports world watched Tom Brady’s every move this offseason — and every Instagram post — to see if the quarterback would stay with this team of 20 years or step into free agency.
And while Brady himself didn’t know for sure what he was going to do after the 2019 season, he said on “The Howard Stern Show” on Wednesday that he had a strong feeling that season would be his last with the New England Patriots.
“I don’t think there was a final, final decision until it happened,” Brady said. “But I would say I probably knew before the start of last season that it was my last year. I knew that it was just, our time, you know — our time was coming to an end.”
The 42-year-old agreed to a two-year, $50 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March, leaving the only NFL team he’d suited up for in his two-decade pro career.
He told Stern that it was an emotional conversation with team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick when he made his decision final.
“I was crying,” Brady said. “I’m a very emotional person. … I have a deep caring for the people that I work with, and I wish (them) nothing but the best.”
