Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is ready to move forward from longtime quarterback Tom Brady.
To open up a conference call Monday, Belichick referred to the statement he made on Brady at the start of NFL free agency and added that he’s sure “we’ll be talking about him for years and decades to come.” But Belichick also said it was time to move forward.
Belichick was later asked if he had a desire to bring Brady, 42, back to New England for a 21st season after the combo won six Super Bowls together. He neglected to give a straight answer.
“Water under the bridge,” Belichick said, per multiple reports. “We’re really focused on this season and trying to look at our opportunities and make decisions and plan and prepare to be as competitive as we can this year.”
Last week, Brady told Howard Stern that he “probably knew” he was going to leave before the 2019 season started.
Currently, the Patriots have two quarterbacks on their roster in 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer. NESN reported that Belichick said he plans to give both players a chance to compete.
“We spent quite a bit of time with Brian and Stid,” he said. “I think [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] and I have a pretty good feel for both of those players. Circumstances will be different this year … Main thing is to give everyone a chance to compete.”
Belichick was also asked for his thoughts on potential quarterback prospects entering the 2020 NFL Draft.
“It’s an interesting group and probably one that has decent depth to it,” Belichick said.