His season complete after Round 1 for the first time since the 2009 season, Tom Brady is on the doorstep of free agency for the first time. As of now, the Patriots’ 42-year-old quarterback is not planning to retire. Brady followed up those comments soon after and did not sound like someone ready to leave the game.
“I’ll explore those opportunities whenever they are. If it’s the Patriots, great. If that doesn’t work, I don’t know. I just don’t know,” Brady said, via Peter King of NBC Sports. “I love playing football. I still want to play football. I think I still can play at a championship level. I’ve just got to go do it. I’m motivated to get back to work and training.”
Brady received a pay raise from the Patriots last year, but Tom Curran of NBC Sports notes the future first-ballot Hall of Famer wanted the type of extension Drew Brees received from the Saints in 2018. Brees re-upped for two years and $50MM two Marches ago, while the Patriots preferred a year-to-year arrangement entering his age-42 season. Brady would become a free agent in March and do so for the first time.
Robert Kraft has frequently made clear he does not want the all-time great playing for another team. The Patriots owner told King it was difficult to approve Brady’s request for 2020 flexibility, and he now hopes the team fits into the passer’s plans.
“Before the season started it was very important to Tom that he be free to do whatever he wanted at the end of the year. You know what I said to myself? That any person who plays 20 years for this team and helps us get to nine Super Bowls, and been really selfless, has earned that right,” Kraft said. “And you know, my hope and prayer is No. 1, he play for the Patriots. Or No. 2, he retires. … But I just hope and pray we fit into his plans.”
Bill Belichick will play a key role in determining if Brady is back. But rather than give the 20-year veteran a raise, Belichick is likely to allow Brady to see what his options are in free agency, Curran adds. With 38-year-old Philip Rivers a free agent-to-be, the Chargers have been linked to Brady. The Raiders could loom as a dark horse, King writes.
Having traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers years ago, the Patriots do not have a realistic Brady heir apparent that would keep them on this level. Allowing Brady to walk would create a fascinating scenario where this century’s premier franchise must aggressively chase a quarterback. At the same time, the Pats will likely need to upgrade their pass-catching corps to entice Brady to return.
Eli, TB, Brees, & Rivers are al FA’s. Should make for a banner offseason. My feeling is they are all well past the present & future investment. But all it takes is 1 team.
All of them should get a horse and go live in the mountains and quit bothering people.
I say Manning to the Bears on a two-year deal. He starts; Trubisky watches, learns, matures as a quarterback, and plays some of the time. Why not? As far as I know the Bears have not yet picked up Trubisky’ fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
So Trubisky watches and learns just in time for him to become a free agent and you then have to throw money at him and hope he’s legit?
You really think Manning is an upgrade here?
Who are the on-roster replacements for these free agent QBs?
At least for the Saints, there is T. Bridgewater and T. Hill.
Patriots have a rookie Stidham and I think still Cody Kessler
Broncos will sign one of them
Well, that would solve the horse issue for one of them.
Lol
I think they’re more likely to spend a full year seeing what they have in Lock. Maybe Eli could work, but the other three are all likely to demand starting jobs (even though it’s debatable whether Rivers is worth one anymore).
Eli is either joining the Colts or no one.
Doug Flutie
Brady in the Big Easy? Brees in Boston? Could it possibly happen?
So the latest is the same as yesterday’s latest.
To be followed by an update on Gronk’s plans…lol.
Brady didn’t want to be franchised because he wants a multi year deal and not go year to year. Had the Pats just given 2 for $25M last year like Brees got then this would all be moot. Now he’s a year older and may have to go elsewhere to get it.
The Pats will pay up, for no other reason than the fact that their is no plan B. Are you going to let him walk over a few million and risk a title opportunity with one of the other “top” fa qb’s?
Unless Belichecks ego has grown so large that he wants to prove that it’s his system that works and not Brady then I suppose it could but I don’t see it
I personally want him to leave that way one of the two can win or both fail and not have to hear “which person deserves more credit”.
You know raiders will sign brady so fast if he hits market. Gruden loves tb. Would be weird to see tb in another jersey. Brees has already said he aint leaving and dont see eli coming back. Rivers will be elsewhere. Tom is the real question mark.
Hard to see Rivers go elsewhere because there isn’t a true alternative to Rivers in LA. I mean, there’s Tyrod Taylor but he’s not going to light up the Bolts offense any better than Rivers can.
Taylor wouldn’t be any worse than Rivers at this point and that’s a lot of extra salary cap to spend on missing pieces. With Rivers and Gordon cap space in hand, the Chargers could rebuilt the team.
It’s all about leverage. Somebody will offer Tom Brady a multi-year contract and he’ll ask the Pats to match + get receiver help.
Personally, I can see the Chargers tell Brady they want to go all out for the next two and mortgage everything to win a title. And if that’s the case, idk how you can say no.
The Chargers are approaching a critical year. They played at a Soccer Stadium and couldn’t draw their fans from San Diego and LA didn’t embrace them. LA is attracted to stars so Brady would be a logical choice at QB. The new stadium will seat 70,000. It will look pretty pathetic if half the stadium being filled with the opponent’s fans and 15,000 Chargers fans. Spanos should have stayed in San Diego.
For whatever it’s worth l sincerely feel and believe Tom Brady “deserves” and the fans want Tom to retire a Patriot and to be allowed to retire, when he is ready to. I hope that is his future as Tom has always given his everything to us and he surely deserves to be honored.
The best thing to do for the Pats is let Stidham play and view if he can get the job done. If Stidham fail to do it the Pats will have a shot for the #1 pick with Trevor Lawrence as the main target. The money that they save from Brady’s contract will be use to other FA.
come on Raiders grab Brady
Gruden loves old football players! I wouldn’t doubt he goes after Brady! I think he is going to let Derek Carr go anyway!
Brady Bears 85
who cares lost all respect for Brady and the Patriots for thier cheating ways. besides Brady is all washed up. have you seen that rag arm? almost as bad as Rivers
So, if Josh McDaniels stays, will Brady be more inclined to sign back with New England?