There was a ton of hoopla as to whether or not the Patriots and Tom Brady's representation were going to speak at some point throughout the NFL combine regarding the quarterback's upcoming free agent status. The two sides never connected in Indy on the issue, but Bill Belichick and Tom Brady did have a conversation about it on Tuesday, according to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald.
Warning: Patriots fans might want to skip to the next story.
Guregian reports that Brady and Belichick spoke over the phone on Tuesday to discuss free agency and a source noted it "didn't go well." This was the first time the two sides have broached the subject and it doesn't appear like they're off to a hot start. Of course, this would hardly be the first time that Bill Belichick got into an icy contract discussion with a player heading into free agency. Even with this rocky start, Guregian relays that it doesn't automatically take the Patriots out of contention. That said, either the Belichick or Brady camp won't be too pleased that word of this contentious conversation got out.
The legal tampering period begins on March 16, but there's already been some rumblings to suggest that Brady's market will be pretty robust. CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora very early on pegged the Los Angeles Chargers as a possible destination for Brady. The Raiders, Titans and Buccaneers are a few other teams that have been mentioned as potential suitors. The latest batch of rumors have even added the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers into the mix, which would be quite the storybook ending for Brady as he'd join his boyhood team that is ready to content for a Super Bowl.
Again, this all doesn't mean that Brady is as good as gone from Foxborough. This is how Bill Belichick seemingly operates with every single free agent that has ever even considered putting on a Patriots uniform. What is does mean, however, is that both sides have plenty to hammer out between now and the start of the new league year on March 18 if they want to keep their marriage going.
