Danny Picard: Bill Belichick comes up with new way to motivate Tom Brady for ring 7

When the New England Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, it became clear that even Bill Belichick understood Tom Brady can’t play forever.

But a funny thing happened after that. Since the drafting of Garoppolo, Brady has led the Patriots to four of the last five Super Bowls, winning three of those four appearances, two of which Garoppolo was still in New England for, before being traded to San Francisco during the 2017 season.

Brady now has six Super Bowl rings. And in his quest for a seventh, he’ll once again find himself with a backup quarterback who’s destined to one day become an NFL starter.

This time it’s 23-year-old Jarrett Stidham, who the Patriots drafted earlier this year in the fourth round out of Auburn. He won the backup job, forcing Belichick to cut veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer this past weekend.

The word “forcing” might be a little too strong in this instance. Keeping Stidham over Hoyer was Belichick’s decision in a QB battle that didn’t really have an overwhelming winner. But let’s be real here. It’s not like the Patriots were going to cut the kid they just drafted.

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Belichick could’ve kept three quarterbacks on the roster. Considering Stidham’s inexperience at the NFL level, it might not have even been such a bad decision to keep the veteran around. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the presence of a young, newly-drafted QB is an added motivational factor for Brady.

And you know what’s even more motivating than having a rookie quarterback on the roster? Releasing the veteran and making that rookie the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.

Given my description of the Patriots’ potential strategy behind making Stidham the backup to Brady, perhaps I should substitute “motivating” with “intimidating.” As in, Belichick is trying to “intimidate” Brady into thinking the organization has once again found his heir apparent.

However you want to describe it, Stidham is here to stay, and Brady knows it. Brady also knows he can become a free agent after this season, which begins Sunday night at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The reality of it all is, a 42-year-old Brady doesn’t want to play anywhere else, and the Patriots would like to win as much as they can with Brady still playing at a high level. But just as Belichick implied with his drafting of Garoppolo in the second round in 2014, the Patriots also know that Brady won’t be able to play at a high level forever.

Did Garoppolo’s presence motivate Brady? Of course it did. You’d be foolish to think otherwise. Will Stidham’s presence have the same effect? Belichick, the Patriots, and the rest of New England certainly hope so.

That’s not to say Brady needs any extra motivation in order to be successful. But it definitely can’t hurt to give it to him.

And if history is any indication as to how Brady will respond, then you might want to book your February flights to Miami right now.

Here are my 2019 NFL Predictions:

AFC East: New England Patriots

AFC North: Cleveland Browns

AFC South: Houston Texans

AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs

AFC Wild Cards: Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings

NFC South: New Orleans Saints

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks