The 2022 NFL season has brought some unpredictable events, such as Tom Brady suddenly no longer leading a top-five offense. Yet, there have also been predictable outcomes, such as the New England Patriots’ offense just barely outscoring what their defense allows and ranking 18th in the NFL.
Many expected the Patriots to be a trainwreck offensively after going the unconventional route by planting Matt Patricia as the offense coordinator despite spending just two years in the NFL focused on that side of the ball. While they’ve still probably done better than anticipated, it doesn’t look like a group poised for greatness.
Meanwhile, TB12 has just been ageless. Who else can play professional football so well at the age of 45? It’s unheard of, so why should we predict he would fall off now?
Yet, it does appear Father Time is starting to catch up to Brady in some ways. He’s averaging the fewest yards per attempt since his second season as a starter. Even then, at 6.5 YPA, it’s not a drastic drop-off from his 7.4 career average.
Some might even suggest Brady’s average is down because he’s getting rid of the ball quicker than he ever has in his career at 2.28 seconds per throw (averaged 2.61 in his final season in New England).
Whatever it is, some suggest Brady’s slowing down, but he might not feel the same way. Maybe it’s the scheme, maybe it’s coaching or the personnel, whatever it is, Brady likely doesn’t feel the problem is him, and he’s not wrong.
What’s interesting is that Brady’s set to be a free agent at the end of the season. He hasn’t made any indication that retirement is on the horizon, and chances are, he won’t want to walk away feeling like he’s left more potential playoff games on the table.
In fact, one NFL insider has even suggested Brady could rejoin his old pal Bill Belichick on the Patriots for one final run.
Related: 2022 NFL offense rankings: Top 5 holds steady ahead of Week 13
Why Tom Brady to the New England Patriots makes sense
Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently dove into some potential landing spots for Brady, and one of the teams mentioned was the Patriots. It’s not hard to see several reasons why a reunion is a perfect fit.
While no one would really say the Mac Jones experience is failing, as they haven’t exactly given him a game-breaking cast of receivers or a rock-solid offensive foundation with not only a new coordinator heading into his second season but also an inexperienced one.
Still, it’s hard to imagine that the 70-year-old Belichick and 45-year-old Brady would turn down the idea of pairing up again for one last ride into the sunset.
Where else would Brady get such stability and respect? Say what you want about Belichick’s hard-nosed mentality or tough love, but he has a lot of love for the QB who helped win him six Super Bowl rings in 20 seasons.
Yet, if Brady came on board, a good amount of their projected $50+ million in cap space would likely have to be spent on improving the receiving corps, maybe even calling Rob Gronkowski up again, and probably bringing in a different coordinator to send plays into Brady’s ear.
It may seem like a wild idea for now, casting Jones aside, whether temporary or not, but again, they know what Brady is capable, and this is a defense built to win now.
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