Tom Brady’s stint in Tampa seemed like a match made in heaven for much of the last two years, and it did result in a Super Bowl victory in his first season with the Buccaneers. But Brady evidently had his gripes with the organization before announcing his retirement on Feb. 1.
Sources told The MMQB's Albert Breer that there were aspects of the Buccaneers’ organization that frustrated Brady. It's unclear whether Brady had any gripes with Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians in particular.
Moving to Tampa was quite a culture shock for Brady coming from the tight-run ship of the Patriots with Bill Belichick at the helm. After last season’s Super Bowl win, Arians opened up about how he would let Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who also played only for the Patriots during his career, take days off if needed. Such a schedule was not allowed in New England.
“You’ve got to be super involved as a coach, but with [Brady] it’s not about X’s and O’s,” Arians said in 2021. “It’s making sure he’s comfortable and feels good about the game plan and workweek. He’d text me and say, ‘Do you mind if I don’t throw Wednesday?’ I was like, “Yeah, I don’t care.’ … I’d ask him, ‘Do you want to take mental reps or do you just want to sit back?’ He’d say, ‘I just need to sit back.’ And we did that two or three times during the season.”
It's unclear what exactly within the organization frustrated the seven-time Super Bowl champion, though his time in Tampa appears to be over.
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