Tom Brady Dismisses Reports Rift With Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels Led to Departure From New England

Tom Brady has dismissed the suggestion his decision to leave the New England Patriots to sign for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was prompted by a rift with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Brady ended a two-decade spell with the Patriots in March, leaving the franchise that drafted him in 2000 and with which he won a record six Super Bowl titles, to become a free agent and subsequently sign with the Buccaneers.

Speculation surrounding the reasons behind Brady's decision has swirled from the moment he announced he would leave New England after 20 years.

While Brady attributed the move to his desire to prove himself in a different environment and to satisfy his thirst for a new challenge, some have suggested frictions between the six-time Super Bowl champion and the Patriots coaching staff may have played a role to play.

Specifically, according to former New York Daily News and Dallas Morning News NFL columnist Gary Myers, Brady was "worn out by Josh [McDaniels] after all these years" and the duo had a "deteriorating relationship".

Brady, however, firmly pushed back on the rumor.

"Please stop this nonsense!" he wrote in an Instagram story on Monday.

"Please be more responsible with reporting, 19 years together and brothers for life."

McDaniels first took on the role of Patriots quarterbacks coach in 2004, doubling up as offensive coordinator between 2005 and 2008. Following a three-year spell in Denver and St. Louis, he resumed both roles when he returned to New England in 2012.

Since McDaniels took control of the quarterbacks department in 2004, the Patriots have won four Super Bowls—he served as personnel assistant and defensive assistant during New England's first two triumphs—with Brady clinching all of his three MVP crowns during the period.

When the veteran quarterback announced his departure from New England in March, McDaniels paid tribute to Brady, suggesting he had helped him to become a better coach.

"I have so much gratitude for Tom Brady," McDaniels said in a statement.

"He has made me a better coach and more importantly a better person. [...] I have never met anyone as demanding and relentless in his pursuit of improvement, perfection and championships.

"His work ethic and drive propelled our offense and our team to perform at the very highest level throughout his career."

While Myers' claim was firmly refuted by Brady, the Hall of Fame voter isn't the first to suggest the quarterback's relationship with key figures in New England had grown stale.

Last month, Sunday Night Football play-by-play caller Al Michaels revealed in November Brady told him he was "the most unhappy 8-0 quarterback in football."

The conversation took place ahead of the Patriots' road game against the Baltimore Ravens. New England rolled into Maryland with an 8-0 record, but that wasn't enough for Brady to hide his dissatisfaction.

"We were talking to Brady, and Brady said to us, 'I'm the most unhappy 8-0 quarterback in football'," the veteran sportscaster said on NBC Sports' Lunch Talk with Mike Tirico.

McDaniels' name, however, had so far never been mentioned among the possible causes for Brady's departure from New England, with most focusing on the perceived breakdown in the relationship between the quarterback and Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

After reaching the Super Bowl just twice in the 40 years before Brady and Belichick pitched up in Foxborough, in the two decades the duo worked together the Patriots competed for the Vince Lombardi Trophy nine times, winning the AFC East for 11 consecutive years.

For all their success, however, Brady and Belichick did not always see eye-to-eye and grumblings of discontent between the grew louder over the last couple of seasons.

However, last month Brady rubbished rumors of a rift between him and his former head coach.

"I think he [Belichick] has a lot of loyalty," he said on The Howard Stern Show.

"He and I have had a lot of conversations that nobody has ever been privy to, and nor should they be. So many wrong assumptions were made about our relationship and how he felt about me. I know genuinely how feels about me.