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Could Tom Brady really leave the New England Patriots?
It's something that none of us can really fathom, but the possibility seems legitimate with Brady getting set to hit free agency in a couple of weeks.
Will Brady really find a better situation than the Patriots? It remains to be seen, but it seems pretty clear that the 42-year-old is either not entirely sold on New England heading into 2020 or he wants to leave just to stick it to the Pats.
If it's the latter, well, there there isn't much the Patriots can do, but if it's just a matter of Brady wanting more weapons, New England can certainly address those needs this offseason.
Throughout 2019, it was blatantly obvious that the Pats were in desperate need of help in their receiving corps. Outside of Julian Edelman and running back James White, New England did not have a single reliable pass-catcher in tow. Josh Gordon didn't work out. Mohamed Sanu was a bust of a deadline addition. N'Keal Harry barely even played due to injuries. Let's not even get started on the Pats' tight ends.
The good news is that there are options the Patriots can explore in free agency.
Amari Cooper will probably end up back with the Dallas Cowboys, and the Cincinnati Bengals seem intent on keeping A.J. Green, so we can cross those two names off the list.
But guys like Emmanuel Sanders and Robby Anderson will be available as far as wide receivers go, and if New England wants to try and replace Rob Gronkowski, there will potentially be numerous top-tier tight ends on the market (although it looks like the Los Angeles Chargers are going to slap a franchise tag on Hunter Henry).
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Taking talent, production, durability and potential availability into account, the top name New England should be pursuing in free agency is Anderson, who has spent the first four years of his career playing for the division rival New York Jets.
Anderson turns just 27 years old in May, he has only missed two games in his career and he could represent the deep threat that the Pats so sorely need.
It also doesn't appear that Anderson will be going back to the Jets, so unlike Cooper, Green and tight ends such as Henry and Austin Hooper, he will almost certainly be there for the taking later this month.
Anderson would fit perfectly next to Edelman, as Anderson would stretch the field and provide Brady with a gamebreaker while Edelman would represent Brady's go-to-guy on short and intermediate routes.
While some feel there is bust potential for Anderson, let's keep in mind that while he has never logged 1,000 yards in any one season, he hasn't exactly had a great situation in New York, as the Jets haven't had any stability at quarterback since Anderson entered the NFL in 2016.
The Patriots, on the other hand, would give Anderson a much more comfortable environment, and he could possibly flourish and break out under the direction of Brady and Bill Belichick.
