Tom Brady has reportedly told people 'very close' to him that he is leaving the Patriots

• It's feeling more and more likely that Tom Brady has played his last snap as a New England Patriot.
• NFL insider Jeff Darlington told ESPN's "Get Up" on Thursday morning that Brady had told people "very close" to him that he was "going somewhere else."
• "We need to wrap our heads around the fact that it is far more likely than not that Tom Brady will not be back with the Patriots," Darlington said.
• Should Brady decide to leave, Darlington cited the Titans, Raiders, and Buccaneers as potential landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.
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It's becoming more and more apparent that Tom Brady may not play out the final years of his career with the New England Patriots.

Brady is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, and while it's still possible that he decides to re-up with the Patriots, the winds seem to be blowing in a different direction.

"At this point I would be stunned if he returned to New England," NFL insider Jeff Darlington told ESPN's "Get Up" on Thursday morning.

"It is not as if Tom Brady is flirting with the possibility of free agency so he can ultimately come back with the Patriots," Darlington said. "He is absolutely looking forward to free agency."

Darlington added that Brady is telling people "very close" to him, "It's not going to happen. I'm going somewhere else."

"We need to wrap our heads around the fact that it is far more likely than not that Tom Brady will not be back with the Patriots," Darlington said.

Brady has teased his potential departure from the Patriots for some time now, starting with a cryptic Instagram post that later turned out to be a commercial for Hulu.

But since then, the possibility of Brady's departure has gone from punchline to probable.

Brady will officially become available on Wednesday, March 18, free to sign with any of the 32 teams in the league should he so choose.

As hard as it is to wrap our heads around, Brady's time in New England really might be over.

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