Tom Brady tracker: The latest news on the Patriots quarterback

Beginning March 16, teams are allowed to contact the agents of players who will become free agents upon the beginning of the new league year.

Here’s a very simplified version of what could happen:

• Brady re-signs with the Patriots before his contract expires. He avoids free agency and it allows the Patriots to spread the $20.25 million signing bonus he agreed to last August over three years (2019, 2020 and 2021), which helps with salary-cap ramifications.
• Brady re-signs with the Patriots after March 18. If the contract is allowed to expire, the $13.5 million Brady was to be paid would be accelerated to the 2020 season, meaning the Patriots would need to have that money included in his new contract.
• Brady signs a deal with a new team.
• Brady changes course and decides to retire.

We’re tracking each move and development between now and March 17, or when Brady signs a contract — plus anything else you might need to know.

Wednesday, March 11 | 6 days until March 17

According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, not all 30 teams are eager to add Tom Brady to their roster.

“The reality is, from talking to sources around the league, it seems Brady is a lot more interested in teams than teams are interested in Tom Brady,” Russini said on “Get Up.”

She believes that while Brady looks good on paper, he doesn’t necessarily fit right in to the system of every NFL team.

But there are certainly teams interested, according to Russini. She added that Tampa Bay is all in on the chase. Jameis Winston, who has quarterbacked the Buccaneers since 2015, is also entering free agency.

And Russini still believes there’s a chance Brady stays with the Patriots.

“The team that we need to put back up on the board that we’re all walking away from is New England,” Russini said.

Tuesday, March 10 | 7 days

With one week to go until Brady officially becomes a free agent, the Patriots are looking for the weapons that experts have speculated might convince him to come back to New England.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote that the Patriots were seeking receivers and tight ends on the trade market.

“[That] isn’t highly unusual,” Breer wrote, “But is noteworthy given Brady’s desire to play with a better supporting cast than he had in 2019.”

Monday, March 9 | 8 days

Tom Brady made an announcement about his future – just not the one everyone is waiting for. He’s launching 199 Productions, a multi-platform production company, alongside “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo.

A big clue in the mystery of Tom Brady’s future may have arrived from ESPN’s Field Yates, who offered context into Brady’s negotiation with the team from last August.

“Brady’s preference was to not add any years to his deal and include a no-tag provision in his deal to ensure him the right to test the market if desired,” Yates wrote. “Early in camp, the Patriots gave Brady his request for total freedom after 2019.”

“In essence,” Yates wrote, “the next step is Brady conveying what he wants in a new deal from the Patriots, not the other way around.”

Saturday, March 7 | 10 days

Julian Edelman’s latest attempt to keep his quarterback has spread over to TD Garden.

Before the Celtics hosted the Utah Jazz Friday night, Edelman shared a photo of the “Stay! Tom 2020” t-shirts he helped create hanging in the Celtics’ lockers.

Brady had responded when the campaign initially hit the internet on March 4.

Friday, March 6 | 11 days 

Earlier this week ESPN reported that Tom Brady remains in “consistent contact” with Antonio Brown and according to one of Brown’s attorneys, Brady told Brown to keep himself in shape so they can possibly reunite.

Brady only added attention to that rumor on Friday. He quote tweeted a tweet from Brown that read “Anger and ego kicked my ass for about 6 months I forgot about hard work and grace has success took a shot yet!” with a heart emoji.

In other Brady news on Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on “Get Up” that the Titans believe they have a good chance to get Brady.

“I just spoke with sources on this. I was told the Titans believe they have a pretty good chance in a head-to-head matchup with the Patriots to land Tom Brady,” Fowler said.

That wasn’t the only thing Fowler reported. He also added that there’s a mystery team in the mix for Brady’s services.

“I’m also told that there’s a mystery team — a third team — that’s firmly in the mix, all right? So cue the music,” Fowler said.

Wednesday, March 4 | 13 days until March 17

Tom Brady and the Patriots spoke yesterday – and it “didn’t go well.”

The Boston Herald‘s Karen Guregian reported that Bill Belichick reached out to his quarterback via phone, but the conversation “wasn’t all that fruitful.”

On the other hand, conversations are going well on the opposite coast.

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran told Adam Schein that he believes there’s real conversation from both Tom Brady and the San Francisco 49ers surrounding a possible deal. He also speculated that Jimmy Garoppolo could be involved.

“What’s interesting about that is the Patriots sent Jimmy Garoppolo out there for such short collateral, that could Belichick say, ‘Hey, why don’t you sign [Brady] when he becomes available for two years? I’ll take Jimmy back, he’ll get you the Super Bowl that you probably could have had this year if you had Brady, and we’ll start fresh.'”

NFL Network’s Michael Giardi confirmed the report, but also added that the demand for Brady is “not nearly as strong as is being portrayed.”

Monday, March 2 | 15 days

Tom Brady could become a free agent this month.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler said they heard “plenty of informed buzz about Brady landing elsewhere” at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week.

The Chargers, Titans, and Buccaneers remained “some of the more talked-about landing spots” for what could be a $30 million per year deal for two or three seasons. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Giants and Colts have no interest in pursuing Brady.

While all of this conversation was ongoing, Brady took in a Syracuse-UNC basketball game with Julian Edelman.

Thursday, Feb. 27 | 19 days

Ian Rapoport said the Patriots were expected to meet with Tom Brady’s agent, Don Yee, at the NFL Combine, currently taking place in Indianapolis.

But that hasn’t happened yet, and according to The Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian:

Adam Schefter reported that any contract negotiations are being held up because of the discussions surrounding the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. NESN’s Doug Kyed confirmed Schefter’s report, saying that Brady’s agent gave the same reasoning this morning.

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur said “the strong buzz in Indy is that Tom Brady won’t return to the Patriots.” Tafur’s tweet came minutes after Jeff Darlington, appearing on “Get Up” said he would be “stunned” if Brady played in New England next year.

Sources told Darlington that “Brady is evaluating the NFL landscape with the intention of departing.”

Meanwhile, Chase Winovich has resorted to social media to beg his “dad” to come back.

Friday, Feb. 21 | 25 days 

The Tennessee Titans could be the new favorite in the race for Tom Brady, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter is just as surprised as everyone to hear it.

On the Rich Eisen show, Schefter said ESPN’s Jeff Darlington appeared on his podcast earlier this week, and offered up his odds as to where Brady will play next year: Tennessee, Vegas, or New England, in that order.

“I was like, ‘Whoa. OK. I knew that Tennessee was an option,’” Schefter said. “But he made it out to be more of an option than I realized it to be.”

“Tennessee has to be considered one of the bright spots when you consider what Tom Brady is looking for in free agency,” Darlington said on Schefter’s podcast. “Whether it is the team itself and what they possess personnel-wise, whether it’s the ability to potentially collaborate with the head coach and have some say in game planning and personnel, I quite frankly think the Tennessee Titans make a lot of sense for Tom Brady.”

Tuesday, Feb. 18| 28 days

With exactly four weeks to go until March 17, other prominent Tom Brady fans are starting to get concerned. Appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Ben Affleck said that he and Matt Damon texted Brady to ask what his plan was. The response?

A shrug emoji.

“I hope he stays. I think he’s fabulous,” Affleck said. “By the same token, he’s given up a lot of money to play for that franchise over the years that he well deserves. The New England Patriots didn’t sacrifice any money winning all those Super Bowls, selling all those tickets, selling all that merchandise. I pray and hope that he stays. It would break my heart if he left.”

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston said he’s hearing that Brady won’t stage a coast-to-coast free agency tour – rather, he’ll set up at one location and have interested teams come to him. NBC Sports analyst Mike Florio thinks its a great idea.

“I love it,” Florio said on NBC Sports. “It’s the ultimate boss move and it tells me that if they’re even having this conversation, there’s enough interest in Tom Brady where you have to have the conversation, right? If it’s crickets, you don’t even have this. You’re thinking, ‘All right, what are we going to do here?

“There are teams interested. Are we going to go criss-cross the nation or are we going to have them come to us?’ I think that’s my big takeaway. There are enough teams interested in Tom Brady for him to even have that deliberation as to how he’s going to handle his free agency tour.”

Monday, Feb. 10 | 36 days

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is the one that can prevent Brady from walking away, but according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, he might not want to.

According to Rapoport, Kraft feels that Brady should test free agency, then return to New England to negotiate a new deal once he learns what his options are. Similarly, a break would give Bill Belichick a chance to see what is out there were he to replace his quarterback.

“After all this, after going through everything, it will mean that it’s basically meant to be, and that it’s the best thing for all sides [to let Brady test free agency],” Rapoport said. “Kraft wanted them to get apart, to see what’s out there, and try to come together in the middle.

“And the hope is, if that works out for 2020, that everyone will be happy they went through the process.”

In addition, Tom Brady, internet troll, is back again, this time “liking” an NFL Instagram post announcing Philip Rivers’s decision to enter free agency after 16 years with the Chargers. It remains to be seen whether he was showing support, or liking the fact that the Chargers are in need of quarterback.

Friday, Feb. 7 | 39 days 

One of latest teams to enter the Brady conversation is the Dallas Cowboys, and rumors swirling gained some traction when NFL Network’s Michael Irvin appeared on WEEI. Irvin, who played for the Cowboys, said he “had a conversation with people” about the Cowboys putting the franchise tag on Dak Prescott, then trading him and signing Brady.

“I’m trying to lean in [Robert] Kraft’s ear like, ‘You can’t let this happen. You gotta keep Tom somehow in New England and let him finish his career.”

The rumors died down a bit when Irvin jumped in on Twitter to clarify that it was not a member of the Cowboys organization that was involved in that conversation, but Dallas still remains linked to Brady, for now.

Thursday, Feb. 6 | 40 days

One thing is for certain: Tom Brady has had plenty of time to up his social-media game as of late. On Friday, he didn’t let the chance go by to take a shot at former rival Peyton Manning and his golf game.

Which begs the question: Is Tom Brady becoming a certified Internet troll? Chad Finn lays out the facts in a column from this week.

Wednesday, Feb. 5 | 41 days

Tom Brady took to Instagram to answer some questions about his fitness routine. Fans took the opportunity to ask about his future. (He didn’t take the bait.)

Tuesday, Feb. 4 | 42 days

Maybe this will convince Tom Brady?

Monday, Feb. 3 | 43 days

The Daily Mail spotted moving trucks outside the Brookline home of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen. Brady and his family are reportedly spending part of the offseason in New York City while they try to sell their Massachusetts mansion.

Sunday, Feb. 2 | 44 days

Tom Brady may have had some veiled references to his upcoming free agency in a Super Bowl commercial he appeared in for streaming service Hulu.

“But me? I’m not going anywhere,” he spoke to the camera after making his pitch for consumers to sign up for Hulu.

Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots still dominated the conversation in Miami on Super Bowl Sunday. A number of former players were on hand for the NFL 100 pregame celebration.

After the Chiefs’ win in Super Bowl LIV, oddsmakers immediately began looking to next season.

Many sports books have odds on where Brady will end up, and Sports Betting Dime put it at 2-3 — the mostly likely scenario — that Brady remains a Patriot.

Thursday, Jan. 30 | 47 days

Tom Brady to the Titans?

The post sent fans everywhere into panic mode. What could it mean?! (Turns out, it’s for a Super Bowl ad.)

Wednesday, Jan. 29 | 48 days

If you’re the betting type, you’ll love this news: The latest odds from DraftKings on where Tom Brady will start in 2020 have New England as the clear favorite. (Other teams in the top three: Chargers and Colts.)

Tuesday, Jan. 28 | 49 days

Rob Gronkowski weighed in on Tom Brady’s future, and he thinks his former QB has a right to test out that free agent market.

I truly believe that he deserves the opportunity to go explore — to see what’s out there,” he told the Globe’s Jim McBride. “He’s been playing for so long and just the way that he’s been playing — just the level that he’s been playing at — he definitely deserves an opportunity to go out there and test the market.’’

Where in the world is Brady, anyway? Manhattan, it seems.

NFL Network’s Mike Girardi reports that Brady, his wife Gisele and their children are living in New York City right now. Their home in Brookline has been on the market and remains unsold

Monday, Jan. 27 | 50 days

Now we know what Joe Montana thinks.

The NFL legend, who began his career in San Francisco and finished it in Kansas City, knows how hard it is for a veteran to adjust to a new team.

That’s why he’s telling Tom Brady to stay with the Patriots.

“It’s not easy to go to another team and get accepted, no matter how much success you’ve had and how many years you’ve played,” Montana told NFL Media. “They still want to see you come in and be the same player and be that loyal to them as you were to the other team you just left. So, it’s not easy [for] guys looking at that change, especially at the quarterback position.”

Sunday, Jan. 19 | 58 days

Tom Brady tells Westwood One he’s still interested in playing in 2020, and said he’s going to embrace whatever the future brings “with open arms.”

And Brady’s former backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, is headed to the Super Bowl after the 49ers beat the Packers, 37-20, in the NFC Championship game.

One more thing of note: Phillip Rivers is moving to Florida.

The quarterback is a free agent and, after 16 seasons with the Chargers, it appears the team is moving on from him. Rivers told ESPN that it was time to get closer to family.

“What this means football-wise is to be determined but it was time for us to move back closer to home,” Rivers said.

Why does this matter when it comes to tracking Tom Brady? Brady is a California native and Los Angeles has been a rumored destination if he were to leave the Patriots. This opens up a clear path.

Saturday, Jan. 18 | 59 days

Tom Brady was spotted talking with Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis on Saturday at a UFC fight in Sin City.

He wasn’t the only NFL star in attendance — Christian McCaffrey, Myles Garrett and Baker Mayfield were also there — and he also spoke with Mass. native and UFC president Dana White.

White had some thoughts on Brady’s impending free agency:

“If that dude isn’t playing for Boston, he’s playing here.”

Sunday, Jan. 12 | 65 days

The Browns choose to hire Kevin Stefanski, offensive coordinator of the just-bounced Vikings, instead of Josh McDaniels for their open head-coaching position.

What does that mean for Tom Brady? Well, it means that Tom Brady may be more likely to return if he’s not in a position where he’ll have to form a new relationship with a new coordinator — who might have a new offense. Ben Volin explains the details.

From Jan. 12: Why signing Tom Brady to a multi-year deal makes sense for the Patriots

Saturday, Jan. 11 | 66 days

Two familiar names are one step closer to the Super Bowl after Saturday’s divisional games.

Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers are headed to the NFC Championship game after beating the Vikings, 27-10, at Levi’s Stadium.

Related: 49ers fans love Jimmy Garoppolo. Like, really love him

Then, Mike Vrabel’s Titans stunned prohibitive favorite Baltimore in the late game, winning 28-12.

Meanwhile, Josh McDaniels is in a holding pattern over the Browns job.

Friday, Jan. 10 | 67 days

Josh McDaniels spent more than seven hours interviewing for the Browns head coaching job. He and his wife Laura were flown to Cleveland by team owner Jimmy Haslam.

He was the final candidate to interview for the final NFL job open during this hiring cycle.

Meanwhile, Jim McBride took stock of the Patriots roster. Here’s a look at how it stood on Jan. 10.

Thursday, Jan. 9 | 68 days

Joe Judge is introduced as the new Giants coach. He divulges the only piece of advice Bill Belichick offered up: “He told me to just be yourself, and that’s all I know how to be.”

Meanwhile, Ben Volin plays a what-if game: What if Tom Brady leaves? Who would he play for?

Here are 14 teams, with a reason he’d consider and a reason he wouldn’t.

Wednesday, Jan. 8 | 69 days

Brady posts on Instagram: “In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again. And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove.”

What does that mean? It confirms his intentions to play football in 2020, just like he said after the Patriots’ loss to the Titans.

Tuesday, Jan. 7 | 70 days

Matt Rhule and Joe Judge both get new jobs. Josh McDaniels does not.

The Patriots offensive coordinator is scheduled to have interviews with the Panthers on Tuesday and the Giants on Wednesday. Instead, the Panthers chose to hire Rhule from Baylor; a few hours later, the word trickles out that the Giants are finalizing a deal with Patriots’ special-teams coordinator and wide receivers coach Joe Judge.

With Mike McCarthy off to Dallas, that leaves one option for McDaniels: the Browns. McDaniels is scheduled to interview with them on Friday. Or, he could opt to sit this cycle out, and try for another head-coaching job next season.

Any way you look at it, the Patriots will once again need to do some rebuilding on the coaching staff. Judge, 38, has been with the team since 2012 and received wide-receiver duties this season to help prepare him to step into a head role.

“Joe could probably coach any position on the field,” Bill Belichick said about him last year. “He does an excellent job of teaching players. He thinks quickly, the game comes easily to him. He understands concepts and adjustments and fundamental techniques. That’s the mark of a good coach.”

Now, Judge will be tasked with helping to develop Daniel Jones as he enters his first season as full-time starter in New York.

Monday, Jan. 6 | 71 days

Robert Kraft, speaking to NBC Sports’s Peter King, knows exactly what he wants when it comes to Tom Brady’s future: “My hope and prayer is number one, he plays for the Patriots. Or number two, he retires.”

Kraft lauded his quarterback just a day after Bill Belichick said “nobody respects Tom more than I do” but also said that the process is “not a one-way street.”

What does all of this mean? Here’s a breakdown from Ben Volin, who reads between the lines.

Sunday, Jan. 5 | 72 days

Bill Belichick found himself in an unusual place on a Sunday morning in early January: behind the podium at Patriots HQ for his end-of-season press conference.

The Patriots head coach wouldn’t say much about the way the Patriots plan to approach Tom Brady’s free agency.

“Everybody’s situation on the team is different. There are not two that are exactly the same, but future is the future for all of them, just like it is for Tom and anybody else you want to bring up,’’ said Belichick. “Certainly, Tom’s an iconic figure in this organization and nobody respects Tom more than I do.’’

The Patriots’ first-round draft pick was also determined on Sunday. They will pick No. 23.

Saturday, Jan. 4 | 73 days

There was nothing a hype video could do to save the Patriots in 20-13 loss to the Titans that ended their season. It was the first time the Patriots had to play in the wild-card round since 2009.

After the game, Tom Brady addressed the biggest question in his postgame press conference: How likely is he to retire? “I would say it’s pretty unlikely, hopefully unlikely.”

There you have it.

But if he continues to play, will it be with the Patriots?

“I don’t know what the future looks like,” Brady said Saturday night. “I’m not going to predict it.”

Katie McInerney of the Boston Globe Staff contributed to this story.