We've heard that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick didn't always get along, and that their relationship may have played a role in Brady leaving the New England Patriots after 20 years to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Brady and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were cool, right?
Not exactly, according to former New York Daily News columnist Gary Myers, who reported that Brady's "deteriorating relationship" with McDaniels also factored into his Patriots exit.
McDaniels has spent almost as much time with Brady as Belichick has; aside from a three-year hiatus from 2009 to 2011, he's been with the Patriots since 2001 and served as Brady's offensive coordinator for the last eight seasons.
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McDaniels and Brady raised eyebrows in 2017 by getting into a heated sideline argument during a Patriots-Bills game, but while the two made it seem like they were just "brothers fighting," it was "far worse than that," according to Myers.
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So, what was the cause of their ire? Our Tom E. Curran has reported Brady felt marginalized in the Patriots' offense last season and wanted more input in McDaniels' game plan.
The 42-year-old quarterback also had essentially no trusted targets outside Julian Edelman and James White, so perhaps his frustration with the offense as a whole put a further strain on his relationship with McDaniels.
In any case, it sounds like Brady just wanted a fresh start after decades of dealing with Belichick and McDaniels. The Bucs seem eager to oblige, too: Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich recently mentioned that all he has to do with Brady under center is "get out of the way."