Tom Brady on his departure from Patriots, relations with Belichick

Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots takes off his helmet after the 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, February 3, 2019. /VCG

In his two-hour-plus interview with Howard Stern on Sirius XM Radio on Wednesday, the NFL GOAT Tom Brady talked about a lot of things. For example, how did he make the decision to leave the New England Patriots? How are his relations with coach Bill Belichick?

Some are worried that leaving the Patriots may damage Brady's legacy because he did not finish his career with one single team. But Brady did not seem to care about that at all.

"I never cared about legacy… I never once, when I was in high school, said, 'Man, I can't wait for what my football legacy looks like.' It's just not me; that's not my personality. So why would I choose a different place? It's because it was just time. I don't know what to say other than that. I had done everything – I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible organization, incredible group of people – and that will never change," said Brady.

Quarterback Tom Brady (L) and head coach Bill Belichick (R) of the New England Patriots hug each other after the 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, February 3, 2019. /VCG

Brady and Belichick have worked together for 20 years during which they won six Super Bowl titles but also had a lot of arguments. Some doubted that Belichick was part of the reason why Brady chose to go.

"No, absolutely not," that's the answer given by the 42-year-old quarterback.

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

A billboard rented by the New England Patriots to honor their former quarterback, six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady. /VCG

For every successful pair, there's always the question of who plays the bigger role. Brady replied to that in a smart way: "I can't do his job, and he can't do mine. 'Would I be successful without him, the same level of success?' I don't believe I would have been. But I feel the same vice versa, as well. To have him allowed me to be the best I can be, so I'm grateful for that. I very much believe that he feels the same way about me, because we've expressed that to each other."

As for his departure decision, Brady said he felt it would be his last season as a Patriot before the 2019 regular season had begun. "I don't think there was a final, final decision until it happened, but I would say I probably knew before the start of last season that it was my last year, and I knew that it was just – our time was coming to an end," said Brady.