Tom Brady made the difficult decision to leave the New England Patriots in free agency last week, opting to sign a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Because Brady spent the first two decades of his NFL career with the Patriots, it's hard to imagine him wearing a different uniform. However, that is exactly what will happen in Week 1 in 2020 when he dons a Buccaneers jersey.

So when did Brady ultimately decide to leave New England?

At his introductory press conference on Tuesday, the future Hall-of-Famer said that he made the choice to officially part ways with the Pats when he went to visit with owner Robert Kraft, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.

Brady said that he wanted to tell Kraft how much he meant to him and added that he also spoke with Jonathan Kraft and Bill Belichick while he was there.

It truly is the end of an era.

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Brady won six Super Bowl titles during his wildly successful tenure with the Patriots, establishing himself as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

However, this past season, the 42-year-old labored thanks much in part to an unreliable receiving corps, resulting in Brady missing the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2008. That year, Brady was knocked out for the season due to a torn ACL in Week 1.

Now, Brady will be joining a Tampa Bay squad ripe with weapons, ranging from wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate.

The Bucs have not made the playoffs in 12 years, but Brady seems ready to change the culture.