"I Have Some Bad News": Tom Brady Hits NFL Teams With a Reality Check

"I Have Some Bad News": Tom Brady Hits NFL Teams With a Reality Check originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

New England Patriots legend Tom Brady didn't sugarcoat his words as he reminded all 32 NFL teams what differentiates "hope" from "wishful thinking."

In his latest 199 newsletter, the 48-year-old icon talked about "hope" and what it means to him. According to Brady, "hope is about believing you can figure out how to achieve a goal, and that you can go out and do the [expletive] thing. Hope is about taking action toward your goals, not simply wishing for them to come true."

The seven-time Super Bowl champion proceeded to connect it to the NFL in a way teams and their fans can relate to, highlighting how hope requires action. That being said, he emphasized that whenever he evaluates teams, he looks at what they do in order to achieve their goals.

Tom Brady's "Bad News" to NFL Teams

In the newsletter, Brady shared that part of his job as a broadcaster — he works as FOX Sports' lead NFL analyst — is to "evaluate 32 teams who are going to compete for eighteen weeks to make the playoffs."

"Every one of those teams is hoping that they are going to be better than last year. They’re hoping that they stay healthy, that they win all their games, that they get the #1 seed," Brady stated. "They’re hoping that they win the Super Bowl. Those are their goals."

He added that part of his "evaluation process" is "looking to see what actions each of these teams is taking to achieve those goals." Through that, he's able to identify if "they actually have hope, or if it’s just wishful thinking."

"What are their strategies and tactics for getting better and winning their division? How are they keeping their guys healthy? Who is stepping up into leadership roles? What do their processes look like? Are they bringing in the right people with the right values that are aligned with all those goals?" Brady said of what he usually asks when assessing NFL teams.

The three-time NFL MVP further emphasized, "If a team’s answers to those questions are lacking, I have some bad news for them. In my experience, that kind of “hope” lasts about half a quarter."

2025 NFL Season Outlook

Sure enough, as the start of the 2025 NFL season nears, it will be interesting to see which teams actually have hope of competing for a Super Bowl title and which can only wish for it.

On Monday, ESPN dropped its prediction for the NFL's 2025 power rankings, naming the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions as the likely top five teams.

The New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons were rated as the bottom five teams.

That being said, as Brady noted, it's worth seeing what moves these teams make to see if they have any hope of achieving their respective goals.

Related: "It's Not My Fault": Tom Brady Exposes Troubling Disease in Teams

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.