Tom Brady was talked out of QUITTING Michigan by former coach Lloyd Carr, who told the seven-time Super Bowl winner in the making: ‘It’ll be the biggest mistake of your life’

While Tom Brady's greatness as a quarterback is not in question, the seven-time Super Bowl winner's career trajectory could have been different had he not made a life-changing decision as a college player.

Brady considered leaving Michigan before his coach Lloyd Carr convinced him to stay in Ann Arbor Yahoo Sports.

Frustrated after not seeing the field as a redshirt freshman, Brady was buried in the Wolverines' depth chart for the next two years. During this period, Brady reportedly entered Carr's office and requested to be released so he could explore transfer options.

“It will be the biggest mistake of your life,” Carr told Brady, per Yahoo.

“You came here to be the best,” Carr added. 'You came here because of the great competition. When you walk away now, you'll always wish you had stayed and tried to compete. You will always wonder what would have happened if you had stayed.'

Tom Brady requested to be released from Michigan after becoming frustrated with his lack of minutes

Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr convinced Brady to compete rather than transfer

Brady went on to win seven Super Bowls while being widely considered the greatest quarterback

After thinking about it, Brady returned to Carr's office and vowed to work his way up and compete.

Brady played in 23 games in his final two years at Michigan before being selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Two years later, Brady won his first Super Bowl with the New England Patriots and the rest was history.

Brady recalled the conversation in a 2020 interview with Howard Stern.

“I went in and spoke to Lloyd Carr. I said, 'I don't really think I'm going to get my chance here, I think I have to leave,' and he said, 'Tom, I want you to stay, and I believe in you and I think you could doing. be a good player, but you have to start worrying about the things you can control,” Brady said.

Although Brady didn't have the most decorated college career, he would eventually be considered by many to be the greatest of all time.

In addition to the seven titles, Brady was named Super Bowl MVP five times, made fifteen All-Pro appearances and led the NFL in passing touchdowns on five separate occasions, among many accolades.

“When he said he wanted me there,” Brady continued. “I went to bed that night, woke up the next day, and I thought, you know what, when I go — and I still feel that way today — in a team sport, you have to make sacrifices. what you want individually and what is best for the team.

“So if you're not the best, it's a disservice to the team if you're somehow forced to play. My feeling was, if I want to be the best, I have to beat the best and if the best competition is in Michigan, I have to beat those guys when I go to play. Ultimately, I committed to being the best.”