Tom Brady announces he's leaving Patriots; free-agent destination unknown

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The domino has fallen.

Tom Brady announced he's ending his 20-year tenure with the New England Patriots in a pair of Twitter posts and an Instagram post Tuesday.

It's still unclear where the 42-year-old quarterback will sign in free agency, but it looks like he's done in New England.

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Brady's Patriots departure first became a possibility last August, when he signed a two-year contract with terms that allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

Brady spoke with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on March 3, per our Tom E. Curran, but it appears the two sides couldn't agree to a new deal.

In New England, it means 23-year-old Jarrett Stidham is the new starting quarterback. The Patriots' fourth-round pick out of Auburn in the 2019 NFL Draft, Stidham showed flashes of promise both in the preseason and regular-season practices and boasts intriguing upside.

The Patriots still could target a more experienced signal-caller to replace Brady via free agency, trade or the 2020 NFL Draft.

Either way, it will be impossible for any QB to replace Brady, who established himself as the greatest quarterback of all time during his 20-year Patriots tenure.

The 199th selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 season and never looked back, leading New England to six Super Bowl titles while winning four Super Bowls and three NFL MVP awards.

Despite all of that incredible success, Brady's Patriots tenure ended on a down note: His last pass attempt was a pick six to cornerback Logan Ryan in the Patriots' 2019 AFC Divisional Round loss to the Tennessee Titans.

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