"He said one of the things that looked really fun and challenging to him is what Peyton [Manning] did in Denver."
Tom Brady has remained mostly silent on his reasons for leaving the Patriots last offseason, but Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen is offering a little insight into the career-changing decision.
While appearing on
CBS Radio's The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday, Christensen said Brady's decision was influenced by Peyton Manning's success with the Broncos after he left the Colts."He said one of the things that looked really fun and challenging to him is what Peyton did in Denver," Christensen said. "There was something about that challenge that hit [Brady] right. 'Hey, I'm going to go see if I can do this again somewhere else.' I do think that the challenge of that was a huge thing for him.
"Twenty-one years (with the Patriots) is a long time. Sometimes there's time for a change. He's mentioned several times that he was impressed with [Manning's success in Denver] and that looked fun and challenging to him."
Brady found success in his first season with Tampa Bay by winning Super Bowl LV earlier this month. Manning, likewise, captured championships with two franchises.
Manning's transition took a slightly different path than Brady's, since he left the Colts in 2012 after missing the entire 2011 season due to multiple neck surgeries. During his 14 seasons with the franchise, Manning led Indianapolis to a Super Bowl win in 2007 and earned four NFL MVP awards. He then joined Denver, where he was named NFL MVP in 2013 before winning the Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
Brady, 43, now has seven championship rings and has been named Super Bowl MVP five times. He played in New England for 20 years before signing a two-year contract with the Buccaneers last offseason.
Earlier this week, Bucs general manager Jason Licht said a contract extension with the veteran quarterback is "a possibility."