Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were synonymous with each other for almost 20 years. The Patriots famously drafted him 199th in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spergon Wynn were the six quarterbacks taken before Brady. It’s amazing how NFL franchises and the league would forever be shaped by making those mistakes of letting him slip by.

After winning six Super Bowls and appearing in three others, Brady appeared to finally have hit a wall after the 2019-2020 NFL season. He posted the lowest completion percentage since 2003, connecting on just 60.8 percent of his passes. To make it look worse, the Patriots were eliminated in the wild card round by the Tennessee Titans, with the game ending on a pick-six from Brady.

After that season, the legendary quarterback’s contract was up. Brady was asking to be paid as a top-five quarterback. It was well known throughout the league that he had never been among the league’s highest paid quarterbacks. He consistently took less money, allowing the Patriots to spend money elsewhere (even though often times they didn’t and Robert Kraft just pocketed the money). Some fans like to point to the fact that Brady was married to a multi-millionaire in Gisele Bundchen. But come on, you’re telling me that Aaron Rodgers, or Peyton Manning, with their hundreds of millions of dollars couldn’t afford a pay cut? No, some people prioritize winning more than others. Plain and simple. But I digress.

The Patriots decided they did not want to invest in the aging 42-year-old Brady. So, he left the franchise that he helped become the longest dynasty in NFL history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were more than happy to pay up and bring the future Hall of Famer aboard.

Since that time, we have seen a distinct difference in direction.

Here are the three most important reasons why Tom Brady won the divorce with the New England Patriots.

3 Reasons why Tom Brady won the Divorce with Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

1. Another Championship

The first reason is the most obvious.  Brady left New England and joined the team with the worst winning percentage in the history of North American sports. That’s not an exaggeration. They literally had the worst winning percentage between all NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL teams.

It took but one season for Brady to lead them to a championship. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all Tom Brady. There was plenty of talent on that roster. They had the best rush defense in the NFL, led by Ndamukong Suh. Mike Evans was one of the best receivers in football and Chris Godwin was ascending. But those players were on the roster the year before when Tampa Bay went 7-9. Let’s also not forget that because of COVID, there was no training camp. The Buccaneers had to beat Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes to win the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Belichick and the Patriots missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The only reason they missed the playoffs that season was because Brady tore his ACL Week 1. It was the first losing season for the Patriots since the year they drafted (Brady did not play).

2. Brady Proves Ability to Motivate, Raise Level of Players

In the two seasons since Brady joined the Bucs, he has shown that it wasn’t the “Patriots Way” that led to success. It has long since been a debate as to who was more important to New England’s success, Tom Brady or Bill Belichick. Well, I’m here to tell you that debate is over.

Fans for years have talked about the lack of talent at the skill position for the Patriots. Brady won a Super Bowl with Antoine Smith as a starting running back and Troy Brown as his best receiver. Could you imagine what he would have talent with supreme talent? Oh yeah, we got a glimpse of that and it was the 2007 Patriots. The only team in history to begin a season 18-0 in NFL history before shockingly losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.

Everyone has seen it. Brady inspires confidence in his teammates. For years, we have watched players play far better than they are capable of under normal circumstances. He leads and others follow. Brady has no problem getting in the face of a teammate if they made a mistake. That’s leadership.

He has done it in Tampa like he did New England. He got Antonio Brown to somehow remain calm (for one season at least). Leonard Fournette looked done in Jacksonville. The Jaguars flat out let him walk. He then had the best season of his career and learned to become an elite pass catcher. Brady’s character is infectious and it makes a difference in the ultimate team sport.

3. Look at the Patriots now

The Patriots bounced back after their losing season in 2020 and made the playoffs in 2021. They boasted one of the best defenses in football, coached up by Belichick of course. Then the playoff game against the Bills happened.

Buffalo became the first team in NFL history to score a touchdown on every single possession that didn’t end in taking a knee.

Patriots fans might not know it yet, but they are about to have a really bad season. Tom Brady can hide a team’s lack of talent. Mac Jones cannot. The wide receiver room is laughable. They lost key free agents on defense. The Miami Dolphins got significantly better. The Patriots are in trouble and it would not be shocking if Belichick retired soon.

I won’t get too deep into the weeds but I implore you. Go back and look at New England’s defensive yards allowed from 2010 to 2020. Quietly, they finished 22nd or worse every season. No one talks about that though.