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Tom Brady thanks Bill Belichick after split with Patriots: 'We accomplished some amazing things'
Tom Brady's and Bill Belichick's storied legacies are closely intertwined, and now they have both moved on from the New England Patriots.
Patriots CEO Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick appeared at a Thursday news conference to speak about the mutual decision to part ways. Soon after, Brady joined a group of major sports figures to publicly honor the decorated coach.
It's difficult to summarize the relationship between the former quarterback-coach duo, but the five-time MVP began by giving thanks. Brady wrote via Instagram:
"I’m incredibly grateful to have played for the best coach in the history of the NFL. We accomplished some amazing things over a long period of time, many of which will be hard to replicate."
From 2001 to 2019, Brady and Belichick won nine AFC titles and six Super Bowls together. Brady ended his tenure with the Patriots to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency in 2020 and won another Super Bowl with his new team that season.
"He was a great leader for the organization, and for all of the players who played for him," Brady wrote in his message about the 71-year-old. "He worked every day to help us achieve the ultimate goal, in the ultimate team sport. And, although we were successful, some of the greatest lessons I learned were in the moments where we faced the most challenging adversities. He set the tone for the organization to never falter in the face of adversity, and to do what we could do, and what was in our control, which was to go out and DO OUR JOB."
Brady, 46, retired as a seven-time Super Bowl champion in February 2023. His final goodbye to the NFL came after he returned for the 2022-23 season following his initial retirement, making him the oldest active player in the league at the time.
When Brady was ready to move on from football, Belichick issued a similar statement.
“Tom Brady was the ultimate winner," Belichick wrote. "He entered the NFL with little to no fanfare and leaves as the most successful player in league history.”
Belichick went on to say that Brady left a "positive impact" on him, and Brady echoed that sentiment in his Instagram post Thursday.
"I could never have been the player I was without you Coach Belichick. I am forever grateful," he wrote. "And I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose next."
Both of their gracious notes come after what was often reported as a less than amicable split. Brady desired a "divorce" from his longtime head coach, ESPN's Ian O'Connor notably wrote in his book, "Belichick."
As Brady and Belichick are presumably simpatico now, Kraft said the coach and his former team are also on good terms. Between retirement, television or another head-coaching role, the verdict's still out on what Belichick will do next.