Latest On Tom Brady, Patriots

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady finally spoke about the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s contract. While the precise tone of these talks is in dispute, the sides do not appear close to a resolution that will keep the greatest player in Patriots history in New England.

While Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports the Belichick-Brady conversation was “business as usual” (Twitter link), NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran and the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian report the discussion did not go particularly well.

Brady’s contract expires March 18, and while it should not be ruled out the 42-year-old passer will return for a 21st Patriots season, the latest developments point to a better-than-expected chance he will depart. And the market for the all-time great may now include a fourth of the league.

As many as eight teams are “monitoring Brady’s free agency,” per ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington, who adds that octet has varying degrees of interest in the Patriots quarterback. Among those, Darlington (via NBC Sports Boston) believes four would sign Brady “right now.” Identifying multiple teams who would do this is not especially difficult. Getting to four is tougher but doable.

Brady has been connected to the Chargers, Raiders, Titans, Colts, Giants, Dolphins, Buccaneers and now 49ers. Three of those teams — the Colts, Dolphins and Giants — are not expected to be real contenders. But the Titans, Bucs and the California teams have not been ruled out.

The Raiders have been not-so-secretly sought a Derek Carr upgrade since Jon Gruden‘s return, and the Chargers’ pursuit of one of the NFL’s most popular players makes sense from that particular organization’s perspective. Bruce Arians said he would consider signing Brady, while the Titans are run by an ex-Patriots exec (Jon Robinson) and ex-Brady teammate (Mike Vrabel). While a 49ers fit would be perhaps the strangest, given their employment of longtime Brady backup Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady is a northern California native.

With free agency still 13 days away, the Brady rumors — and talks of potential replacements for the Patriots — figure to heat up in that span.

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