Tom Brady’s exit from Birmingham City was as much of a surprise to many as his arrival.

When the seven-time Super Bowl champion dipped his toes into English football as a minority investor in Birmingham alongside Knighthead owner and chairman Tom Wagner in 2023, the expectation was that he was in it to help supercharge the club’s push back to the Premier League.

Birmingham were relegated to League One before rising back to the Championship and consolidating there. They are now top of the Championship, closer to a return to the Premier League than they have been for some time — but this is the point at which Brady has chosen to exit.

The Athletic spoke to multiple people connected to the club with knowledge of the situation, who all asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships. They said the relationship had come to a natural end, mainly because Brady is too busy spinning plates all over the globe, but particularly in the U.S..

The Athletic has reported that Brady’s contract with FOX is worth $375million (£283m) over 10 years. People with knowledge said that it places restrictions on travel during the busy months of the English football season. He also has a five per cent minority investment in the NFL side, the Las Vegas Raiders, as well as a stake in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and that’s not to mention a huge portfolio of other investments on the back of him having one of the strongest personal brands in sports.

Brady first added his name to the Birmingham City project alongside the main driving force, Wagner. When Brady signed up with Wagner, who suffered a stroke in February but remains fully committed, he was fresh out of his NFL retirement after 22 seasons and deciding where he would fill his time in the years ahead.

Those priorities might now have changed, having cut ties with the Birmingham adventure — one he had not been a visible presence at for over 18 months anyway.

The 49-year-old last attended a Birmingham game in April 2025, when his side lost in the Vertu Trophy to Peterborough United at Wembley. Sources say he still provided assistance when needed and even appeared on calls to help new signings over the line, but he was never setting club strategies or assisting with manager Chris Davies’ matchday plans.

He also had no voting rights with the small amount of shares (worth 3.3 per cent) he held before his departure. In his statement on Instagram, he said he’ll “always be rooting” for Birmingham’s success but stopped short of adding many other details.

This may not have been the fairytale ending, but he leaves having played a part in a build that will now allow Birmingham to stand on its own two feet.

Birmingham desperately needed eyes on the club during the League One season, and they arrived partly because of Brady. An Amazon documentary, Built in Birmingham, helped. Greater partnerships were formed, social media channels grew, and the new £2.5billion Powerhouse stadium and surrounding Sports Quarter are now in sight.

The club’s push for promotion is in its early stages, with less than a third of the Championship season passed. Brady, however, no longer needs to help “sell” the story — although it would still help — because at the very least, it’s clear to see that something exciting is happening.

Those working behind the scenes at the club will describe this as the next phase. They do not have to tell players or partners about the ambition and the expected journey ahead, because they’re already motoring along.

Hiring a trio of senior figures with experience of working at Manchester United highlights that. In recent times, John Murtough joined as director of football, alongside Andrew Rudd as chief finance officer and Liam MacManus as chief marketing officer. Sources say the latter will focus on strengthening and promoting the club’s ‘Keep Right On’ brand.

Facilities at the club have been transformed under Knighthead, and it feels like a Premier League club in waiting. Brady’s legacy will be felt in wellness and recovery at the training ground, where his long-time ‘body coach’ Alex Guerrero continues to inform the club on areas such as strength and conditioning, medical, injury prevention, and nutrition.

Brady at his last Birmingham game in April 2025 (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

The man driving standards, though, is Davies, who is continuing to shape a team that is growing in confidence. He talks about wanting to be great rather than good. Sources say that after a steady start to the season, he reiterated the message privately to his players that, while two wins and five draws from the first eight games was promising, the aim should be much higher.

A sharp focus on how to gain more control in games was drilled into the team during the first international break, and the results that followed — six wins out of seven, through a mixture of both guts and guile — propelled Birmingham to the top of the table.

Thinking big has never been an issue under Knighthead. When Birmingham were promoted from League One as record-breaking champions, the noise at boardroom level, according to people with knowledge, was about pushing for back-to-back promotions. Questions  were also asked about the possibility of high-profile pre-season games.

Birmingham did get Barcelona to St Andrew’s this summer and the more realistic assault on promotion was always going to be in this campaign.

Ex-Birmingham player Jude Bellingham attended the pre-season friendly against Barcelona at St Andrews (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The way they can mix up attractive football with the rough and tumble of the Championship is serving them well. Two battle-hardened centre-backs in Christoph Klarer and Phil Neumann help the bottom end of the spine. The bite of Colombian Jhon Solis in midfield is useful, four tricky wingers in Liam Miller, Demarai Gray, Patrick Roberts and Carlos Vicente offer variety, and Jay Stansfield is progressing nicely behind the in-form August Priske.

Birmingham tried to sign winger Ibrahim Osman in the summer after a successful loan. There are also funds available to strengthen in January if needed.

Davies spoke about the need to score at least 70 goals this season and made a conscious effort to improve on set pieces, with Scott Fry hired as a specialist over the summer. More time has been afforded to working on an attacking playbook from corners and free kicks, and Alex Cochrane’s delivery is proving to be a key weapon.

Birmingham’s fans are desperate for success but willing to believe in the process if there’s enough to hang onto.

At the start of 2026, serious questions were being asked on the stands, particularly after a bruising 3-0 defeat at Watford on January 1, which, for Davies, felt like rock bottom. Supporters were booing the team, mocking the style of play with chants of “sideways and backwards, everywhere we go”. Change was called for.

When Wagner fell ill in February, there were even greater concerns, but steadily the sentiment has changed. There was no panic over the summer, no desire to change head coach, no repeat of the trading plan where around 80 players came or went over the previous two seasons, and instead a push to find some continuity.

Davies has largely stuck to his philosophy but shown greater flexibility to mix up the play when it has needed a more direct or robust style. After 15 games, Birmingham look as good as their league position suggests, even if only one point separates the top five.

The academy which produced England brothers Jude and Jobe Bellingham is also back on the rise after a difficult period, and the age groups are becoming stronger. England’s big clubs have also started to send scouts more often, which is a sign of the change.

Not so long ago, Brady’s departure may have rocked the boat, but the voyage is already well underway. If this season turns into a successful one, it will feel like the possibilities are limitless.