Tom Brady made a shocking decision to leave the New England Patriots and ultimately sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. It was a move that shook the entire foundation of the NFL. Now, the Patriots are no longer viewed as an elite team and the Buccaneers are being talked about as a potential Super Bowl contender.

Coming into the offseason, many thought there was a chance that Brady would end up leaving New England. However, the reality of it happening was still surprising.

Last season with the Patriots, Brady received quite a bit of criticism about him falling off and age starting to take its toll. Despite all of the critics, he ended up completing 60.8 percent of his pass attempts for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Those numbers are not shabby at all for a 42-year-old quarterback.

Looking ahead to his upcoming tenure with the Buccaneers, Brady has plenty of reasons to be excited. First and foremost, the presence of star wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin along with Rob Gronkowski at tight end offer Brady more weapons than he had in 2019. Tampa Bay simply has a better team to surround Brady with than New England did.

Let's dive in and take a look at three questions Tom Brady must answer in 2020, in his first season with the Buccaneers and his first year without Bill Belichick.

3. Can He Lead Tampa Bay Back To The Playoffs?

Obviously, the main question that Buccaneers' fans want to know is whether or not their team will make the playoffs. The hype surrounding them after signing Brady is that they could contend for a Super Bowl. Take that hype with a grain of salt.

Things are not going to be easy for the Buccaneers. They are in a conference with quite a few serious contenders. If the Buccaneers are going to make the playoffs, they are going to have to knock off some very tough teams.

Brady is certainly capable of winning big games against good teams. He has done that throughout his entire career. However, he will need to prove that with the Buccaneers and outside the comfortable confines of New England.

2. Was He A Product Of Bill Belichick's System?

Next up, the questions about Brady's success with the Patriots are going to be there this season. Some believe that Brady was mostly responsible for keeping New England in Super Bowl contention year after year. Others think that any quarterback could have done the same with a coach like Bill Belichick and a system like the Patriots have.

There is no better way to get rid of those questions than to have a massive statistical season with the Buccaneers and leading them to contention. Should Brady be able to do that, he would take complete hold of his own legacy away from Belichick.

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Gisele Bündchen surrounded by piles of cash.

Spencer See ·

Belichick is an amazing coach and no one can take that away from him. Brady is also an amazing quarterback and no one can take that away from him, either. The pairing was lethal, but both men will be successful even though they aren't working together anymore.

1. Is Brady Starting To Fall Off?

Finally, there is one more important question that Brady has to answer this season: Is he starting to age and beginning to decline?

That was the narrative last season, but many believe his lack of weapons was the main problem. Brady now has more weapons than he could have imagined last season. Evans, Godwin, Gronkowski, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate and more offer him a ton of help.

Brady has no excuses this season. We are going to have a very good idea of where he is at following 2020. He must prove that he is still an elite franchise quarterback and that he can carry the Buccaneers to serious playoff contention.