NEWSTom Brady Says 'Natural Tension' Led to His Patriots Split With Coach Bill Belichick
Tom Brady opened up about the 'natural tension' that led him to part from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
March 26 2025, Published 3:52 p.m. ET
Tom Brady is finally speaking up about the “tension” that led to his Patriots departure from Bill Belichick.
In a March 24 newsletter about free agency, the former NFL quarterback reflected on his 20-year tenure with the New England football team.
Tom Brady opened up about the 'natural tension' that led him to part from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“For me, it was a creeping decision that lived passively in the back of mind for two to three years until March of 2020 when a whirlwind of a few days made me realize that a decision was coming sooner rather than later,” Brady, 47, said in his weekly column.
He expressed how after so many years together, a “natural tension” developed between him and his head coach, 72, that could only be amended by a drastic change in direction.
“Coach Belichick and I were headed in our careers, and where the Patriots were moving as a franchise,” he explained.
Tom Brady parted from the New England Patriots in 2020.
In the Apple TV documentary Dynasty, Patriots owner Robert Kraft confirmed there was growing dissension between Brady and Belichick, and during one season, they didn’t even talk to each other.
The exact reasoning behind why the conflict developed remains unclear, although some speculate the aging quarterback wasn’t too pleased the team was planning to seek an eventual replacement.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick didn't talk to each other during one whole football season.
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The Hall of Famer shifted gears and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, leading them to win the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.
As a 40-year-old dad, Brady weighed his priorities, ranking them on a scale from one to three. Taking Tampa Bay to the top alongside coach Bruce Arians and “skill[ed] players” Mike Evans and Chris Godwin came in at a three, while staying with the Patriots was less important to him.
The legendary quarterback played a total of three seasons with the Bucs, two with Arians and one with Todd Bowles. He retired in February 2023 and signed on as Fox’s lead NFL analyst in 2024.
Tom Brady is now Fox's lead NFL analyst.
A few months before Brady played his final NFL game, he filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years, Gisele Bündchen. The couple shares two children together, Benjamin, 15, and Vivian, 12. The football star also has a 17-year-old son, Jack, with ex Bridget Moynahan.
Bill Belichick is dating 23-year-old Jordon Hudson.
Belichick also changed course, parting from the Patriots in January 2024 after 24 seasons. He was hired to coach college football at the University of North Carolina in December 2024. Belichick is now dating Jordon Hudson, a 23-year-old former college cheerleader, and their relationship has caused much conversation and controversy.
