New England Patriots

Former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge reached an agreement to rejoin the New England Patriots' coaching staff as an offensive assistant on Tuesday. 

Judge was fired by the Giants in January. He compiled a 10-23 record across two seasons.

The 40-year-old Philadelphia native released a statement to Art Stapleton of The Record after his dismissal, saying he was "truly grateful" for the opportunity.

"To the current Giants players, thank you most of all," Judge said. "When I became the head coach, I said that we would ask you to come in and give everything you had every day. And you did. I am so proud of you, grateful for you, and I believe in you."

He spent most of his previous tenure with the Patriots as their special teams coordinator (2015-19). He started as a special teams assistant and added the role of wide receivers coach in his final season before leaving for New York.

His coaching career began at Mississippi State, his alma mater, and also included stops at Birmingham-Southern and Alabama across seven years at the collegiate level.

As an offensive assistant, Judge would serve under a new Patriots offensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels vacated the role to take over as head coach of Las Vegas Raiders.

Former Penn State and Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien has been mostly frequently linked to that opening. He previously served as the Pats' offensive coordinator in 2011.

O'Brien currently leads the Alabama offense and he has a year left in his contract with the Crimson Tide. In turn, MMQB's Albert Breer reported his return is likely dependent on Nick Saban's willingness to release him from that deal if longtime friend Bill Belichick "pushes for that."

New England ranked 15th in total offense (353.4 yards per game) and sixth in scoring offense (27.2 point per game) in 2021 with rookie quarterback Mac Jones leading the unit.

Much of the Pats' offseason focus will likely be trying to acquire more playmaking talent around Jones in the passing game via free agency, the draft and trades.

Tom Brady is the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history, but even he thinks overturning the famous "tuck rule" would have significantly altered his career.

The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Tuck Rule" examined the 2002 playoff game between the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders, where an apparent fumble was ruled an incomplete pass. Brady thinks that might've saved his starting job.

"I'm probably the backup QB going into 2002," Brady said in the film, via Jake Levin of NBC Sports. "I'm not the starter if we lose that game."

Brady famously was a sixth-round draft pick who only took over for Drew Bledsoe when the Pro Bowler suffered an injury. After an 0-2 start, the Patriots turned around under Brady with an 11-5 finish before going onto win the franchise's first Super Bowl.

Bledsoe was traded in the offseason and Brady went onto win five more titles with New England before winning a seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Without that tuck rule, however, it might have been a different story.

Brady had modest numbers in 2001, finishing with 18 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in 15 games, good for an 86.5 quarterback rating. If the Patriots suffered a 13-10 loss in their only playoff game that year—the score at the time of the apparent fumble—the depth chart might have still been in question.

We'll never know if Bill Belichick would have gone back to Bledsoe in the offseason, but that one play might have changed the course of NFL history.

Another 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Championship Ticket Rookie Autograph has sold for $1.4 million at Goldin Auctions.

The card is graded NM-MT 8 by Beckett Grading Services, with a perfect 10 on the signature. In the description of the card, Goldin Auctions calls it a "'Holy Grail' of the collecting industry" and the "most valuable and desirable football card" on the market.

On Feb. 1, the same card with a Beckett Grading Services 8.5 grade and a perfect 10 signature sold for $2.3 million via Probstein Auctions through eBay, making it the third-most-expensive football card ever.

According to ESPN's Dan Hajducky, the most expensive football card ever sold is a 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes 1-of-1 rookie card that went for $4.3 million in July 2021. The second-most expensive card is a better-graded version of the 2000 Playoff Contenders Brady rookie card that sold for $3.1 million in June 2021.

Brady memorabilia has always sold for a high price. However, the seven-time Super Bowl champion recently announced his retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons, so don't be surprised if there's a spike in prices for his memorabilia. Because after all, the legend is destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets head coach Adam Gase is reportedly among the names being considered for the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator job.

Mike Girardi of NFL Network reported Gase is being considered alongside Bill O'Brien and internal candidates.

The Patriots are looking to replace Josh McDaniels, who left the team for the Las Vegas Raiders' head-coaching position. 

Gase, 43, was out of football last season after being fired for posting a 9-23 record in two seasons with the Jets. He previously spent three years with the Dolphins, going 23-25 before being fired.

Throughout his tenures in Miami and New York, Gase gained a reputation for having a prickly personality without the success to back up his lack of interpersonal skills. He ran into issues with players during both of his stops while also clashing with management.

Those same personality conflicts also follow O'Brien, who had a major falling out with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and engaged in a power struggle with the front office in Houston. The Texans fired O'Brien four games into the 2020 season after he made a series of questionable personnel decisions after wresting control over roster decisions.

Bill Belichick has a familiarity with O'Brien dating back to the latter's days as an assistant in New England, so there's a decent chance at a reunion. Gase never coached under Belichick, but the Patriots coach has spoken kindly of him in the past.  

New England's top internal candidates are tight ends/fullbacks coach Nick Caley and wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi. Caley has been with the organization since 2015 and would seem like the most logical choice. 

Prior to becoming head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2019, Brian Flores was a longtime defensive assistant under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. Whatever relationship Flores has with Belichick will be put to the test amid Flores' lawsuit against the NFL.

Flores, who was fired by the Dolphins last month despite back-to-back winning seasons, levied more allegations against Belichick and the New York Giants on Thursday.

In the lawsuit he filed Tuesday, Flores contends that he found out that the Giants planned on hiring Brian Daboll as head coach days before his interview because of congratulatory text messages he received from Belichick. Flores alleges that Belichick intended to send those messages to Daboll.

On Thursday, Flores backed up those claims by saying he believes Belichick had some part in the Giants' hiring decision.

"I think there are back channel conversations and back channel meetings that are had that oftentimes influence decisions," Flores told Jay Williams on NPR’s podcast The Limits (h/t Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio). "I think [the Giants hiring process] is a clear example of that. Bill Belichick is a clear example of that. His resume speaks to that. It was clear to me that decision was made with his influence."

He continued, "That's part of the problem. That needs to change. There needs to be a fair and equal opportunity to interview and showcase your abilities to lead and earn one of those positions."

The Giants had responded to Flores' lawsuit Thursday and dismissed the claims that Belichick had any knowledge of their hiring process.

"Mr. Belichick does not speak for and has no affiliation with the Giants," the team stated. "Mr. Belichick's text exchange provides no insight into what actually transpired during our head coaching search."

It's clear that Belichick will be a key witness to determining how Flores' lawsuit will play out. The longtime Patriots coach has yet to address the matter, but he will have no choice soon when the case goes to court and he's faced with questions.

The New England Patriots and Bill O'Brien reportedly have "mutual interest" in a reunion to fill the team's offensive coordinator vacancy, a job he previously held for the Pats in 2011.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Thursday on WEEI's Gresh and Keefe (via NESN's Zack Cox) that the return of O'Brien, the offensive coordinator at Alabama, to replace Josh McDaniels, who became the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach, "makes a lot of sense for all parties":

"As far as Bill O'Brien, the NFL's process is slow. Everyone wants answers now, but the reality is the process is slow. So in order for the Patriots to hire Bill O'Brien—and I do believe there's interest. I think there's interest from them, and I think there's interest from him, and a lot of times when that's the case, these things end up working out. But they've got to go through a process. They have to interview multiple candidates. They have to interview candidates who are minorities. They have to go through all that.

"So we are not there yet, and I would say typically, the Patriots work very, very slow on staffing. Like, I can remember many times they would go to the combine and not be set on staffing. So I'm not sure that will happen imminently, but I do believe there's mutual interest. And honestly, it just makes a lot of sense for all parties."

While there is reported interest in O'Brien, the Patriots must comply with the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview multiple external candidates from historically excluded groups for vacant coordinator and other positions.

That is especially notable amid the lawsuit former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores levied against the NFL on Tuesday, alleging racist hiring practices and discrimination.

O'Brien first joined the Patriots in 2007. He filled multiple roles across five years, rising to the coordinator position in his final season before leaving to lead Penn State in 2012.

He returned to the NFL as the Houston Texans' head coach in 2014 and was modestly successful, posting a 52-48 record with four playoff appearances in six-plus seasons, but he was dismissed following an 0-4 start to the 2020 campaign.

O'Brien joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama for the 2021 season. The Crimson Tide offense ranked sixth in scoring (39.9 points per game) and seventh in yards (488.2 per game).

Now the 52-year-old Dorchester, Massachusetts, native could return to New England. The Pats ranked second in total offense (428 yards per game) and third in scoring offense (32.1 points per game) in 2011, but that comes with the caveat that Tom Brady was the quarterback.

Posting similar success with Mac Jones would be a tougher task.

Jones put together a solid rookie season after being selected in the first round of the 2021 draft. He completed 67.6 percent of his throws for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but he still has work to do before he's locked in long-term.

The New England front office must also put more playmakers around him if the passing game is going to take a step forward.

Meanwhile, no interviews for the vacancy have been reported, so the Pats are seemingly in the early stages of their search. As Rapoport suggested, it could take a while before they make a choice.

It sounds like O'Brien will emerge as a top contender, though.

Two days after announcing his retirement, Tom Brady is continuing to express his gratitude for the past 22 years. 

Brady posted a highlight video on Twitter, writing "I love you all" and thanking everyone who made "this incredible journey possible."

The video includes clips from Brady's on-field career and footage with his family. 

Of particular note is the inclusion of New England Patriots highlights. It became a controversy when Brady didn't make mention of the team he spent the first 20 years of his career with in his Instagram announcement on Tuesday. 

Brady later sent a message to Patriots fans in response to a statement from New England about his retirement. 

This video seemed designed to spotlight the New England portion of Brady's career. He included the clip of him talking after the Bucs-Patriots game in Week 4 saying Boston was his home for 20 years and his kids were born there. 

Brady won his first six Super Bowl titles and each of his three NFL MVP awards with the Patriots. The 44-year-old is walking away from the sport playing arguably as well as he ever has. He led the league in completions (485), attempts (719), passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) during the regular season. 

EA Sports announced Thursday it has returned Tom Brady to the Madden "99 Club" following his retirement from the NFL after 22 years with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady joins a select group of players to hold the highest rating in this year's game:

The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his decision Tuesday after a few days of intense speculation about his future following reports his retirement was imminent.

Brady, 44, wrote he could no longer make the "competitive commitment" necessary to perform at his highest possible level.

"I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention," he said.

His placement in the 99 Club could be viewed as a lifetime achievement award of sorts, but it's also a deserved honor based on his play during the 2021 season.

The 15-time Pro Bowl selection led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) while guiding the Bucs to a 13-4 record, which was tied with the Green Bay Packers for the league's best mark.

That continued success made his decision to walk away something of a surprise as it appeared he could have pushed to play until age 50, but he'd previously noted the importance his family's opinion would have on his final decision.

All told, Brady has been one of the best quarterbacks in Madden for well over a decade, and his final year in the game as an active player will conclude with him as a 99 overall.

A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty after selling fake Super Bowl rings he said were gifts from Tom Brady. 

Per the Associated Press, Scott V. Spina Jr. pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft stemming from a 2017 scam involving a New England Patriots Super Bowl ring from the 2016 season:

"In 2017, Spina bought a 2016 Super Bowl ring from a Patriots player who then left the team. Spina sold the ring for $63,000 to a Southern California broker and used the player's information to contact the ring company and order three slightly smaller rings designed for friends and family, prosecutors said.

"Those rings had 'Brady' engraved on them and Spina claimed they were gifts for Brady's baby although the quarterback never authorized their purchase, authorities said."

According to the AP, prosecutors said Spina initially attempted to sell the rings to a broker for $81,500. The deal was said to have fallen through because the broker, who had been told by Spina that Brady bought them for his nephews, was unable to confirm Brady had nephews. 

Spina wound up selling the rings to an auction house in New Jersey for $100,000. One of them sold at auction in 2018 for $337,000. 

Federal prosecutors arrested Spina in December for the ring scam. 

"The rings were at no time authorized by Tom Brady," the federal prosecutor in Los Angeles stated. "Spina intended to obtain the three rings by fraud and to sell them at a substantial profit."

Spina was formally charged with one count of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty to all five counts.

Brady was named MVP of Super Bowl LI during the 2016 season when he led the Patriots to a 34-28 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He threw for 466 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the win.