Okay, I know what the headline says, but take a deep breath and relax. Tom Brady isn’t going anywhere yet, but the Patriots have already started preparing for life after him anyway.
Bill Belichick has long said that he doesn’t want end up in a terrible situation if there’s a change at the quarterback position. He has pointed to the Colts the year they lost Peyton Manning and “sucked for Luck” as an example of exactly what he doesn’t want to have happen to his teams. It’s this attitude, plus how they are handling Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, that sheds light on what they’re planning for the future.