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I don't think anyone thought it would ever come to this, but the New England Patriots may very well have to fight to keep Tom Brady. The question is, do they really want to?
With Friday's news that Bill Belichick told Brady in their recent phone conversation that all the Patriots could offer the future Hall-of-Famer is a one-year deal with a lower salary than he made in 2019, is Brady all but a goner?
Of course, none of us knows for sure what was said during that phone call, and even if that is how things went, it doesn't necessarily mean Brady's tenure in New England is over.
But it does mean that all of the talk about Brady potentially leaving the Pats is legitimate and that Patriots fans appear to have a legitimate reason to worry about the quarterback position going into 2020.
So, just how can New England sell Brady on re-signing?
Well, for one, the Pats may need to offer him more money.
A report back in January stated that Brady has been “embarrassed” by his salary throughout his NFL career and that he wants to make up for it by getting paid this offseason.
The problem is, if the latest rumor holds true, it doesn't look like the Patriots are willing to give him what he wants. Well, Belichick isn't anyway. Robert Kraft might, but apparently, Kraft is not going to step in if a massive gulf exists between the two sides because he doesn't want to cause any locker room friction.
So let's say New England isn't able to offer Brady as much money as teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Then what?
Obviously, the Pats can try to sell him on the idea that they give him a better opportunity to win a seventh Super Bowl than any other team and that they would be willing to bring in some more weapons for him this offseason.
That's the thing, though: the Patriots absolutely, positively have to add more pieces this offseason, as their receiving corps are pretty barren at the moment. Outside of Julian Edelman, who is 34 years old and coming off shoulder surgery, New England does not have a single reliable wide out in its arsenal, and let's not even get started about its tight end situation.
The Pats are going to have to assure Brady that they will be able to contend for a Super Bowl title next season. Now, to be clear, the Patriots do have some cap room, and free agents would surely love to play for them.
But there are no guarantees, and the fact that New England likely won't be able to—or won't be willing to—match the amount dollars that other teams will is certainly going to make things considerably more challenging.
Personally, I still think staying with the Pats is Brady's best option. He has spent the first 20 years of his NFL tenure there, so why not finish out your career there?
But I also understand that egos are at play here, and you have to wonder just how much that will ultimately play a role on whether or not Brady elects to re-sign.
