Many New England Patriots fans will be keeping a close eye on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season after Tom Brady left in free agency to sign with them.
And you can bet Brady likely will be keeping tabs (to some degree) on his former team, too. In fact, the subject of the Patriots' 2020 season came up Wednesday in Brady's candid, two-hour interview with SiriusXM's Howard Stern.
Here's what Brady had to say about the Patriots' upcoming campaign without him:
The Patriots do have quite a challenge coming up. Not only did they lose the greatest quarterback of all-time in Brady, but several important defensive players also departed New England as free agents, including linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins.
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Patriots coach Bill Belichick still has a lot of talent on this roster, however, and he's also fortunate the team owns 12 picks in this month's 2020 NFL Draft.
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Oddsmakers also are confident in the Patriots' ability to extend their postseason appearance streak to 12 seasons. DraftKings Sportsbook currently gives the Pats -200 odds to reach the postseason, and they're also +100 favorites to win the AFC East for a 12th consecutive season. New England has the third-best odds to win the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Much of the Patriots' success in 2020 is expected to depend on the performance of Brady's replacement. Second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham is the favorite to assume that role. Stidham has a monumental challenge in front of him, but his teammates have had plenty of praise for his attitude, poise and other attributes throughout the offseason.