The New England Patriots had a lot of departures this offseason. They lost key players like Trent Brown and Trey Flowers in free agency and lost defensive coordinator Brian Flores to the Dolphins. But the most notable absence when they open offseason workouts will be a player still on the team.
Quarterback Tom Brady won't be showing up for the voluntary offseason workouts, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Brady did the same thing last offseason, and things worked out just fine, with the Patriots winning yet another Super Bowl.
Brady is a pro, and it's not like he'll be slacking off during his time away from the team. It doesn't seem like any sort of protest either, and Brady genuinely believes his time will be better spent training on his own rather than working out with the team.
Rapsheet even notes that Brady may “bulk up” this offseason, and “should be a bit bigger” the next time we see him. Brady will turn 42 before the season starts, but he didn't show any sign of slowing down last season. With everything else going on, Bill Belichick surely isn't going to be losing sleep over Brady missing some offseason workouts.
Brady was still at the top of the pack in most of the league's passing statistics and delivered some clutch playoff performances, which is all that matters.
The Patriots have had a good amount of turnover both on the roster and the coaching staff this offseason, but that's never stopped them in the past. New England should once again be a championship contender in 2019.