Devin McCourty: Brady leaving Patriots isn't 'the end of the world'
Longtime Patriots safety Devin McCourty is happy for Tom Brady, but he doesn't believe the sky is falling in New England just because the star quarterback decided to leave for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I honestly didn't think twice about Tom Brady's free agency, because I was a free agent," McCourty told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday. "That was my main concern, where my family would end up. Would we be back in New England?
"Then when I signed my deal and I was back, you kind of think of all the guys. Tom, the Kyle Van Noys, Jamie Collins. All of those guys you had relationships with, Matthew Slater. That you kinda know like, man, this could be it. That could have been the last game I played with these guys. When he made a decision, to me it wasn't like the end of the world."
Brady and McCourty had been two of the main pillars of New England's dynasty, winning three Super Bowls together (XLIX, LI, LIII).
But while the Pro Bowl safety opted to re-sign with the Patriots on a two-year deal reportedly worth $23 million, Brady stunned the NFL by inking a two-year contract with the Bucs during his first-ever shot at free agency.
Although many expected Bill Belichick to target a veteran quarterback like Cam Newton or Andy Dalton to replace the future Hall of Famer, the Patriots appear set to enter the season with sophomore Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer leading their QB depth chart. New England also didn't draft a quarterback, though it brought in two undrafted free agents in Brian Lewerke and J'Mar Smith.
Stidham, a 2019 fourth-round pick, is the favorite to land the starting job.
"I think he's a young guy who's eager to learn. That quarterback position is always a hard position," McCourty said.
"I'm excited for that quarterback room," he added. "I think they're itching. You get an opportunity to go out there and compete, that's what we all want. I think for us as players at other positions, we need to focus on what we have to do. Not fall into the trap of the media, like everybody worried about the quarterback room. We just control what we can control and the rest will take care of itself."
- H/T to NFL.com