Eli Manning wonders why Patriots let QB Tom Brady leave

Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is wondering the same thing as many: Why on Earth would the New England Patriots let Tom Brady slip through their fingers?

"I just did not imagine him leaving, them letting him go and him going somewhere else, just from my experience," Manning told the New York Post's Steve Serby.

Manning defeated Brady twice in the Super Bowl, and even he recognized that the 42-year-old's decision was out of the ordinary.

It was reported that the Patriots were willing to pay Brady the money he wanted to remain with New England, but Manning speculated that Bill Belichick could've caused any potential contract discussions to fall apart. 

"But for him to have had all the success, do everything he’d done in New England and did it with one organization, I guess you just kind of wonder what was the reasoning?" Manning said.

"I don’t know if he felt unappreciated, or just wanted to try something different, but was surprised that this went down." 

Brady will probably never address the speculation that his decision was influenced by Belichick, but it's clear he departed New England for a reason.