Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady denied reports that a breakdown in his relationship with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was a primary cause of him leaving the team. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady shuts down rumors about 'deteriorating relationship' with Josh McDaniels

By Blake Harper | Last updated 5/12/20

Earlier this week, there were reports that Tom Brady's soured relationship with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels caused him to leave the team but Brady took to social media to deny these rumors.

The 6-time Super Bowl champion wrote on his Instagram story, "Please stop this nonsense! 19 years together and brothers for life” in reference to McDaniels.

There has been plenty of speculation about Brady leaving the Patriots, with most analysts assuming that friction between Brady and coach Bill Belichick was a primary cause. But on Monday, NFL writer Gary Myers tweeted that the quarterback's "deteriorating relationship" with McDaniels was one of the biggest reasons for his departure.

Hard to present an order of why Tom Brady didn't want to return to Patriots. But one thing has been very much overlooked, according to an excellent source: His deteriorating relationship with OC Josh McDaniels. Tom was worn out by Josh after all these years. That surprised me.
— Gary Myers (@GaryMyersNY) May 11, 2020

McDaniels was hired by the Patriots as a personnel assistant in 2001 and became the team's quarterback coach in 2004. He was then named the team's offensive coordinator following the 2005 season. He left the team to become the Denver Broncos head coach in 2009 but was fired after two seasons.

The Rams then brought McDaniels on as offensive coordinator but he returned to the Patriots as an offensive assistant coach during the 2011 playoffs. After Bill O'Brien left the team to coach Penn State, McDaniels was once again offensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was supposed to leave the Patriots to become the Indianapolis Colts coach in 2018, but he ultimately decided to stay with the Patriots.

Last year, McDaniels acknowledged that working together for nearly two decades meant that he and Brady had some ups and downs in their relationship.

“We’re two really, really competitive people," McDaniels explained. "We have strong beliefs, most of the time those are aligned. Every once in awhile there’s a disagreement. That’s OK. That’s football. We respect each other. To have an opportunity to continue to compete with him, it’s an incredible experience. I’ll cherish it for the rest of my career.”

Based on Brady's comments, it seems that his time with McDaniels is something he also cherishes.

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