Tom Brady reportedly unlikely to return to Patriots

INDIANAPOLIS — The “Tom Brady 2020 watch” took a different turn on Thursday. All of a sudden, it appears the quarterback could be done with the Patriots.

According to the Boston Herald, as of Thursday, the Patriots still haven’t reached out to Brady. The Herald cited a source who said, “it’s not looking good.” That report is similar to the one by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington who said, “I’m now at the point where I would be stunned if Tom Brady went back to New England” on ESPN’s Get Up.

Brady’s agent Don Yee was at the Indiana Convention Center on Thursday morning. He met with a group of local reporters, The Providence Journal included, but politely declined to comment on Brady and the reports about the quarterback. Bill Belichick landed in Indy on Wednesday, so there’s still time for a meeting to happen.

The NFL combine has been the place where deals come together. Here in Indy, is where the markets are set.

This year, however, things are a little different due to the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Combine that with a later start to free agency (March 18) and a lot of things are in a holding pattern when it comes to teams, players and their agents. That certainly could be the case with Brady, Belichick and the Patriots. However, it’s clear that Brady will have multiple suitors in free agency.

Teams like Tennessee, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Chargers are expected to show interest and pursue Brady.