Tom Brady seems like someone who has done it all in his 20 year Hall of Fame career. But he will soon embark on uncharted waters. For the first time, Brady will officially become a free agent when the new league year begins in March.

Following Saturday’s shocking loss to the AFC’s 6th seed Tennessee Titans, Brady stated that it was “pretty unlikely” that he would retire this offseason. Franchise patriarchs Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft also weighed in. With Belichick saying that Saturday wasn’t the time to address the future and Kraft stating before the season that his hope is for “Number one, he (Brady) play for the Patriots. Or number two, he retires.”

So with Kraft in his corner and Belichick noncommittal, it would seemingly indicate the marriage between Brady and the Patriots isn’t headed for the rocks. But it also poses an interesting question. Why let it get to this point? Well for one reason, the cap. Once the regular season ended, Brady’s current $21.5 million 2019 cap number was locked in. And any new bonuses associated with a new deal could be prorated against New England’s cap for the life of the contract. That’s important for teams hoping to compete in today’s NFL. Quarterback contracts can cripple a franchise. Another reason is that it was, according to Kraft, it is important for Tom to “be free to do whatever he wanted” at the end of the year.

Now the question going forward will be about whether Brady intends to seek out a new employer. And even though everything comes to an end, it’s hard to imagine it ends like this. With shocking losses to the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. With Brady throwing a pick-six in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. As crazy as it sounds to even say, there seems to be a bit of unfinished business for this regime. And this football fan hopes to see them finish it. Together.