When the dust settled after the New England Patriots' season-ending loss to the Tennessee Titans, the focus shifted to the future of Tom Brady.
The 42-year-old quarterback is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, which will give Brady a chance to explore his options with other organizations for the first time in his 20-year NFL career.
Of course, there's always the chance the six-time Super Bowl champion could ride off into the sunset and retire rather than return to New England or pursue another ring with a new team. Judging by Saturday's postgame press conference, though, that doesn't appear to be a likely scenario.
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Brady briefly acknowledged his uncertain future, but wouldn't get into details. Instead, he reflected on his memorable Patriots tenure.
I personally appreciate everything [the fans] contributed over the course of not just this year, but a lot of years. Just very grateful for the experience of playing this year for this team, this organization, and over the course of my career too. So I appreciate it. I've always tried to do the right thing out there and, you know, who knows what the future holds. We'll leave it at that.
I love the Patriots. This is the greatest organization and playing for Robert Kraft for all these years and for coach Belichick. I mean, there's nobody who's had a better career, I would say, than me just being with them. So I'm very blessed and I don't know what the future looks like, so I'm not going to predict it.
As if there's any chance he'll call it a career this offseason. . .
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I would say it's pretty unlikely ... Hopefully unlikely.
Brady isn't the only one with a decision to make. The Patriots have several key players scheduled to hit the free-agent market, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could be on the move for a head-coaching gig.
Saturday's loss may not have marked the end of the Patriots dynasty, but it could mark the beginning of some significant changes being made in New England.
