By John Sarianides

May and June are notoriously slow football months unless you want to talk about OTA’s, mini camps and spring recruiting in college football. As a result, you have to resort to writing hypothetical pieces like this.

I believe that if the Patriots win the Super Bowl next season, Tom Brady will retire. I used to think he will play three more seasons but given his wife’s recent comments and the Patriots not trading Jimmy Garoppolo, there is a decent chance TB12 hangs them up if he wins his sixth Super Bowl in February.

I know it’s hard to imagine a super competitor like Brady who loves the game retiring. He has said in the past that he wants to play until he’s 45 but that’s not realistic. He cannot play at a high level until he’s 45. I don’t care what anyone around here says.

Factor in Gisele’s concern for his long term health and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that next season could be Brady’s last if the Patriots win the Super Bowl.

You don’t think Bill Belichick is already planning for life after Brady? He has been for a while now. That is why he’s holding onto Garoppolo and why he drafted Jacoby Brissett in 2016. It is also why Belichick loaded up the roster for the next two years. He knows that the window is just about closed with Brady and 2017 could be his last season if they win it all. 

For what it is worth. I don’t see Belichick retiring with Brady. I think he still loves what he does and he wants to prove he can win without Brady for more than four games.

Earlier this off season I wrote a piece about how I think the Patriots have a succession plan in place. Forget I ever wrote that piece. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl next season, Tom Brady is done. I feel more confident in saying that than ever.