Al Michaels Says Tom Brady Hinted in November He Was Done With Patriots and Called Himself 'Unhappy'

Ever since the New England Patriots suffered their shocking AFC Wild Card loss to the Tennessee Titans, the assumption was increasingly that quarterback Tom Brady would leave for a new team in free agency. As it turns out, there's evidence to suggest that Brady made up his mind much earlier.

During an appearance on NBC Sports Network's "Lunch Talk" on Wednesday, "Sunday Night Football" play-by-play announcer Al Michaels told colleague Mike Tirico that Brady hinted to him that he was ready to leave the Patriots as far back as November. Perhaps the most telling information that Michaels provided? Brady's quote about being "the most unhappy 8-0 quarterback in football."

That's quite the testament to how dissatisfied Brady truly was with the Patriots.

If you watched New England's games last season, you saw that they were carried consistently by their stout defense, but when it came time to duel with high-powered offenses like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, the Pats just couldn't keep up. Of course, Brady's play was far from stellar, but the weapons he had at his disposal were far from helpful.

You might have been unhappy, too.

Once the start of the 2020 league year came and the Patriots didn't make a move for a stud receiver, the writing appeared to be on the wall that Brady would indeed depart for greener pastures. Those pastures turned out to be in Tampa, as he signed a two-year contract to throw passes to studs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin with the Buccaneers.

Usually, Brady is a cagey individual when it comes to his private life, and he doesn't provide much for the media apat from the company line during interviews and press conferences. But, if Michaels' recollection is true, it goes to show that TB12 eventually couldn't hold back his displeasure for the organization he led to six Super Bowl titles.