Since 2000, Tom Brady has been a part of the New England Patriots. He has played a pivotal role in the success of the team, having earned the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory on Feb. 3, 2002. He has led the Patriots to nine Super Bowls, six of which they have won. 

In an Instagram post on March 17, Brady announced that he will be leaving the Patriots. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He began by thanking those he has worked with and includes that he has been able to achieve his maximum potential, which is all one can hope for. 

“Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for our incredible team accomplishments. I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to know each and everyone of you, and to have the memories we’ve created together,” Brady wrote. 

Many fans are left confused and upset, especially teenagers who only know Brady as their favorite team’s quarterback. Many are left wondering: “What now?”

Question: What are your thoughts on Tom Brady leaving the Patriots? 

“I’m very distraught from the news that Tom Brady is leaving New England. I was born on the day the Patriots won their first Super Bowl, so I’ve always had a special connection with the team and Brady who led them to their first championship. It’s pretty hard to see him go, but I will always respect and love what Brady does. As for the Patriots, this puts them in a tough spot because they do not have a good backup quarterback who can step in to start, and you can never really guarantee getting a good one in the draft. Plus, we have very little money to sign a quarterback or even sign good players to help the average quarterback, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team does. I will probably be taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride that is next season, as it will be hard to adjust to the Patriots without Brady. It will also be hard to hear another team succeeding with him. This makes 2020 suck even more, so I’m just very upset overall with how the year is going,” senior Chris Reilly said. 

“I am devastated that Tom Brady is leaving the Patriots. I believe it sends the Patriots into a new era without number 12 as the center, and it could mean that there will be a few in between years where the Patriots may have less success that usual. This news affects me a lot because I have grown up with Tom Brady, and I love him like a father,” senior Calvin Blake said. 

“When I woke up this morning and saw that Brady was leaving, I thought it was a joke. Knowing no other quarterback, it will be a strange change, but maybe one for the better. I’ll always be a fan of him and probably even buy his new team’s jersey. Growing up and watching Brady play, all the success and the consistency, will make it hard to watch the Patriots struggle the next few years until they find the new franchise quarterback. These next few years will be a challenge for the Patriots and it will test everyone’s patience. People forget about Bill Belichick, and he’s half the reason why they have been so successful. With the greatest coach of all time leading the way, the right moves will be made and Super Bowls will be won again,” senior Ben Cunningham said.

“I think that Tom Brady should’ve stayed with the Patriots and continue to break the few records that he hasn’t broken yet. This obviously puts the Patriots at a disadvantage, but I am sure Bill [Belichick] knows what he is doing and will do what is best for the team. I am really sad to see Tom go, but I will still be a fan of his wherever he ends up,” senior Hallie McLaughlin said. 

“I’m very sad that Brady left the Patriots, but I still hope he does well wherever he goes. It definitely hurts the Pats because we don’t have a quarterback anymore, and it’s the end of an era in New England and things can really only go down from here, especially since we’ve let a lot of other players walk in free agency. He’s been on the Patriots since before I was born and since I became a sports fan in general, so it’s going to be weird. Overall, I’m sad he’s gone, but I’m still gonna stick with the Patriots and I’m definitely not going to hate on him,” senior Matt Samargedlis said. 

“It’s really sad because we have grown up watching Brady as our idol through both wins and losses. He created childhood memories like comebacks, Super Bowls and parades, which are moments I’ll never forget. He deserves to finish strong and it would have been nice if he had stayed, but it doesn’t take away anything that he has done for New England. It is going to be a new start next season by watching a quarterback that’s not him, but I hope we get someone that can keep up the momentum. My dad has had season tickets for more than 25 years and he isn’t renewing them, so it’s sad because he loves Brady, and with everything that is going on, Tom Brady leaving is probably what is most on my family’s mind. It has been a chaotic year so far, but this definitely threw us New Englanders for a loop,” junior Katie Minsk said. 

“Tom Brady will always hold a special place in my heart, as he was an idol that everyone in Walpole could look up to, living so close to the stadium. It saddens me that he is moving on, but I am not heartbroken by the news. Although he has been the face of New England for 20 years, I think that this significant change was overdue. I would have liked to see the Patriots keep backup quarterback Jimmy Garappolo and have traded Tom Brady when he still had market value. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think it would have set up the Patriots for success long term instead of clinging on the fan favorite in Brady,” junior Justin Schneider said. 

“Tom Brady has given 20 years to this organization, and although we’re all sad to see him go, I think his time with the Patriots organization is up. He might as well leave on good terms. I also think it opens up opportunities for change in the Patriots organization that we haven’t seen in two decades, so it will be interesting to see how we respond to that as Patriots fans and how the organization itself responds to changes in the locker room and on the field. The Patriots will be tested to see if they relied heavily on Brady in years past for our success, and based on the past two years I say they didn’t. I will always be a Patriots fan, and with that, I will always be a Tom Brady fan. To me, those are one in the same. Although I can’t lie, I wasn’t ecstatic when I found out, but I realize it’s what’s best for him and probably the team as a whole, too,” junior Edwin Ryan said. 

“Tom Brady leaving the Patriots wasn’t a surprise to me. We knew the team wasn’t willing to offer him what he wanted. Tom leaving is heartbreaking, and it’s going to look really weird with him on another team,” junior Brian Malone said. 

“I didn’t know that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a team until Tom Brady signed with them. He has to be near retirement age at least, so I don’t understand why he signed with a new team if he’s just going to retire in a couple years. He won’t be able to get the same amount of success with a new team for a few years that he did with the Patriots in 20, so it doesn’t really make sense,” sophomore Bridget Loughran said.