Tom Brady

Bruce Arians Plans To Honor 5-Year Deal

May 20th, 2021 at 2:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Three months after the Buccaneers’ second Super Bowl parade, Bruce Arians is not backing off the pledge he made at that time. The third-year Bucs HC not only wants to pilot a Bucs title defense but coach the team beyond 2021.

In 2019, Arians said he would retire if the Bucs won a Super Bowl. Now, the 68-year-old leader wants to finish out the five-year contract the Bucs gave him and could potentially coach beyond 2023.

“Oh yeah, that’s the plan. I don’t have any plans on retiring,” Arians said of finishing out his contract during an appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast. “It’s just, when do I not want to go back to work? When I’m not excited about going back to work then I’m cheating somebody. I’m cheating the Glazer family, I’m cheating my players. Right now I can’t wait to get back to work.”

Tampa Bay deviated from its usual approach to contract structures this offseason, doing so in order to keep its Super Bowl squad together. The maneuvering involved a Tom Brady extension, which is packed with void years that stand to affect future Bucs payrolls. The Bucs are firmly in win-now mode, but Arians also dispelled the notion he would walk away when Brady does. Brady is signed through 2022.

“I don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Arians said of his own retirement, “but no, I’m not tied to any players. … I could get extremely excited about having another young quarterback and going to war with one,” Arians said. “I’ll be honest with you. I’d be excited to take Blaine Gabbert to war because I love Blaine Gabbert. I think he is the most underrated player in the NFL. So yeah, when its not fun, then it will be time.”

Arians is the third-oldest head coach in the NFL, after Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick, but he did retire after the 2017 season. A three-time cancer survivor, Arians spent 2018 in the broadcast booth. But he has made his comeback one of the best in NFL coaching history, ending a lengthy Bucs playoff drought and giving the franchise its second championship, and wants to continue this chapter beyond 2021.

Bucs GM: Tom Brady Can Play Until He’s 50

May 12th, 2021 at 2:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Buccaneers drafted Kyle Trask in the second-round a couple weeks ago, but don’t count on him seeing the field any time soon. Tom Brady continued to defy father time once again this past season, and as far as the Bucs are concerned there’s no cap on when he can keep playing until.

Tampa GM Jason Licht recently appeared on the Rich Eisen Show (Twitter video link), and made it clear he’s not going to force Brady out the door. For starters, Eisen asked Licht whether Brady gave any indication that the extension he signed back in March would be his last. Licht immediately said “none.” While Licht said he’d keep most of their conversations private, he said Brady gave “no inkling at all” that this would be his last go-round.

Most notably, Licht said “I told him if he wants to play until he’s 50, and he feels like he can still play, he can play until he’s 50.” Brady, born in August of 1977, would turn 50 right before the start of the 2027 season. Trask’s rookie contract will have already been long done at that point.

While Licht obviously wasn’t making a firm commitment right there, it’s yet another sign that Brady isn’t going to ride off into the sunset as long as he’s playing at a high level. His most recent extension keeps him under contract through the 2022 season.

The 43-year-old had knee surgery this offseason, although he said recently that he’s hoping to be ready to go by the time the team opens minicamp in June.

Buccaneers Would Consider Drafting QB

April 22nd, 2021 at 8:33pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers may be all-in on the 2021 season, but that wouldn’t stop them from considering a quarterback in the upcoming draft. During his press conference earlier this week, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht revealted that he’d consider taking a developmental quarterback who could learn from future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

“You just want to make sure that you’re not picking a quarterback just to pick a quarterback,” said Licht (via Scott Smith of the team’s website). “You want everybody to be onboard, and the guy’s got to have the right mindset. He’s got to be, obviously, talented and can through the ball, but he’s got to be somebody that we all feel comfortable with above the neck. There’s always positives to drafting a quarterback if all those things align.”

The Buccaneers won’t use a first-round pick on a quarterback, and it’d be a bit surprising if the team selected a QB on the second day of the draft. A late-round quarterback would be a natural crapshoot, but the Buccaneers would be putting that young player in a position to succeed. For starters, the rookie would obviously be playing behind a seven-time champion (and a former late-round pick, to boot). Plus, as Licht pointed out, that young signal-caller would also benefit from the current coaching staff.

“Well, there’s always pros to drafting a quarterback for us because of our coaching staff,” said Licht. “Bruce and Byron and Clyde and Tom Moore – I mean, you couldn’t think of a better staff to groom a quarterback.”

A young quarterback would also have the inside track to succeed Brady when the veteran inevitably retires. In fact, this hypothetical player could have a path to playing time if Brady was forced to miss time next season; the only other quarterback on the roster is Ryan Griffin, although the team is still looking to re-sign backup Blaine Gabbert.

Tom Brady Hoping To Be Ready By June Minicamp

April 19th, 2021 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite going under the knife this offseason, Tom Brady is hoping he’ll be able to participate in his standard training this offseason. Speaking to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the veteran quarterback revealed that he’s recovering from his knee surgery and is hopeful that he’ll be a full participant at mandatory June minicamp.

“Yeah, I hope so. I hope so. I feel pretty good, and I push myself pretty hard,” Brady said. “I feel pretty good. I don’t know if I could go this week, but we’ll see how things play out. It’s a long time between now and the beginning of the season, and just be smart about all these different things that we have to do and fulfill; but we all take a lot of pride in being ready to go, and I’m sure we will be.”

“It’s good, it’s good. It’s good progress. It’s rehab. None of that is fun, but looking forward to getting back to real training and stuff, which is hopefully here pretty soon. … I’m cool with it. It’s just part of what you deal with. Things come up. You deal with them the best way you can, with the best opportunity to improve. I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I did six or seven weeks ago.”

This is a somewhat notable development; while GM Jason Licht previously revealed that Brady was recovering quickly, it sounded unlikely that the quarterback would be a full-go during 7-on-7 work in June.

It’s notable when any quarterback has a knee procedure, much less an iconic quarterback who will be 44 at the start of the next season. Still, no one within the organization seems to be all that concerned. We previously learned that the procedure had been planned for a while, and Licht had described the surgery as “minor.”

The Buccaneers still haven’t added a definitive backup quarterback this offseason, although the sentiment is that they’re expected to re-sign Blaine Gabbert.

Latest On Tom Brady Knee Injury

April 4th, 2021 at 7:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When it was revealed in February that Tom Brady was undergoing knee surgery for an injury that would keep him sidelined from team activities until at least June, it understandably raised some eyebrows.

A 43-year-old quarterback getting knee surgery that will knock him out for a handful of months is significant no matter what. But fortunately, it sounds like everything is going well with Brady’s recovery. “I talked to him last week,” Bucs GM Jason Licht said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “I know things are going well. I don’t want to put an exact timeline on it right now because I don’t want to set expectations one way or the other, but I know that things are going very well.”

The injury also apparently wasn’t out of left field for the team, and the procedure had been planned for a while. Brady had been planning on having the surgery for months, and the news was “not a surprise” to the Bucs, a source told Laine.

Licht also called it a “minor surgical procedure” although it can’t really be that minor if Bruce Arians was saying back in February that he was hopeful Brady could do some 7-on-7 work in June. Obviously if there’s anyone who doesn’t need much offseason time it’s Brady, but this will still be something to monitor as the ageless wonder gets set to turn 44 in August.

QB Notes: Brady, Mahomes, Teddy, Falcons

March 13th, 2021 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Just over a year ago, Matt Rhule said he was “unbelievably excited” to coach Cam Newton. That never came to fruition, with the Panthers releasing their longtime starter a few weeks after those comments. This year, the Panthers’ desire to upgrade on Newton’s replacement — Teddy Bridgewater — has not exactly been a secret. David Tepper is said to be eager to make a strong offer for Deshaun Watson, and the Panthers offered their No. 8 overall pick and change for Matthew Stafford. Rhule, however, said he “can’t wait” to have Bridgewater back as QB1, via Joseph Person of The Athletic (subscription required).

“I think he’s controlling what he can control, and he’s having a great offseason, I’m sure,” Rhule said. “I can’t wait to get him back here. And I think he’s determined to play his best football next year. As far as where he stands with us, he’s our quarterback and nothing’s changed since the end of the offseason.”

In addition to the Panthers’ interest in veteran upgrades, they were present at Trey Lance‘s pro day Friday and are planning to be at the other first-round-caliber QBs’ showcases, per Person. Bridgewater’s $63MM deal runs through 2022, but his grip on Carolina’s starting job is far from firm.

Here is the latest from the quarterback position, moving to some rather famous passers:

Thanks largely to void-years maneuvering, the Buccaneers have Tom Brady set to collect a massive 2021 sum but only count $9.1MM against their cap. On his latest extension, Brady will take home $41.1MM this year, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The contract calls for a $24MM cap number in 2022, when Brady is only due to collect $8.9MM. The Bucs are stacking three void years to make this work, and Pelissero adds the team will save $19.3MM against this year’s cap by making this move (Twitter link). A whopping $24MM in void-years prorations will reside on Tampa Bay’s 2023-25 caps. If the Bucs do not extend Brady again by the time this contract expires in March 2023, they will be hit with the entire $24MM in dead-money sum on their 2023 payroll.
The Chiefs restructuring Patrick Mahomes‘ 10-year, $450MM contract saved them $17MM in cap space. Mahomes will now only count $7.43MM against Kansas City’s 2021 cap, per OverTheCap. He is only due $990K in 2021 base salary.
Matt Schaub‘s retirement and the Falcons waiving Kurt Benkert leaves Matt Ryan as the lone quarterback on Atlanta’s roster. While the Falcons are expected to add two more QBs this offseason, new HC Arthur Smith is not certain he wants to sign a veteran to be Ryan’s primary backup, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. Schaub worked as Ryan’s backup for the past five years.

Buccaneers, Tom Brady Agree To Extension

March 12th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers will sign Tom Brady to a one-year extension (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The new deal will keep Brady in place through 2022.

Technically speaking, the new add-on is actually a four-year contract extension, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. However, those final years are voidable, making this a one-year extension that ties him to Tampa for just one additional year.

Exact terms of the contract are not yet known. But, the revised deal will provide the Bucs with approximately $19MM in cap room this year (Twitter link via Schefter). As of last week, the Bucs were said to have only $11MM available. Meanwhile, Brady’s presence should help the Super Bowl champs keep the band together. In the coming days, the Buccaneers will work to keep top free agents such as tight end Rob Gronkowski, edge rusher Shaquil Barrett, and wide receiver Antonio Brown.

The future Hall of Famer was initially on the books for $28.4MM in 2021. Coming off a rather successful age-43 season, Brady says he’s open to playing past age 45. Brady will turn 44 in August, so the two sides could be talking extension again in March of 2022.

The Bucs’ bid to keep the band together is already off to a solid start. In recent days, they’ve assigned the franchise tag to Chris Godwin and re-upped linebacker Lavonte David ahead of free agency.

Bucs, Tom Brady Discussing New Contract

March 6th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Tom Brady recently moving the goal posts on his long-established play-until-he’s-45 target, the Buccaneers are discussing a new deal with their quarterback. And the sides are making progress, according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (on Twitter).

Brady is on Tampa Bay’s books at $28.4MM in 2021. An extension would be a way to reduce that number and help the Super Bowl champions retain some of their high-profile free agents. GM Jason Licht said last month a Brady extension was on the radar.

Coming off a rather successful age-43 season, Brady has said he is open to playing past age 45 now. (Brady will turn 44 in August.) His two-year, $50MM contract runs through 2021.

The Bucs have $11MM in cap space and can only retain one of their marquee free agents with the franchise tag. Chris Godwin and Shaquil Barrett are Tampa Bay’s tag candidates, and the team also has Lavonte David, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Ndamukong Suh and Leonard Fournette looming as free agents-to-be. Free agency opens March 17, but the legal tampering period begins two days earlier.

The Bucs have said they want to keep everyone in this group, and some of these cogs have indicated they would like to return. While Brady’s presence and the Bucs’ status as defending champions stands to be a draw for veterans during a year in which many could be available — due to the likely reduced salary cap — the aforementioned contingent played a significant part in Tampa Bay claiming its second Super Bowl title. Losing a few from the group would sting.

Although Brady did not make the Pro Bowl, he climbed back into the top 10 in QBR (seventh) after a spotty 2019 season in New England. The future Hall of Fame quarterback bounced back from a three-INT second half in the NFC championship game, throwing three TD passes in the first half of Super Bowl LV. He will miss much of the Bucs’ offseason program due to knee surgery and may be out until June. However, Brady having spent a year in Bruce Arians‘ offense figures to make this offseason less important than last year’s for the 21-year veteran.

Bucs Notes: Brady, JPP, Brown

February 24th, 2021 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Parks

There are several high-profile Buccaneers that have undergone offseason surgery already. According to head coach Bruce Arians, five-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady has gone under the knife to clean up the knee issue we heard about several weeks ago (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). Though Brady will not be ready to participate in team drills until June, the fact that Tampa is willing to discuss an extension with him suggests the club is not particularly worried about his prognosis.

Meanwhile, OLB Jason Pierre-Paul underwent a knee surgery of his own today, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com passes along. JPP had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in July, and he landed on the injury report throughout the 2020 season as a result of the injury. Still, he didn’t miss a game and led the Bucs with 9.5 regular season sacks, so he will head into a contract year with plenty of momentum and, hopefully, a clean bill of health.

On a related note, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that RB Ronald Jones recently had a pin removed from his broken left pinky finger, which required surgery in December. Jones played through the injury and finished off a successful third pro season. After a disappointing rookie year, Jones is living up to his status as a former second-rounder and, like JPP, has a good chance to set himself up for a big payday if he can replicate his 2020 performance in 2021.

Here are a few more notes on the defending champs:

As you know by now, the Bucs have a number of big-name free agents, which could make this offseason a difficult one for GM Jason Licht to navigate. The team has made it clear that it wants to bring back players like WR Chris Godwin and LB Lavonte David, and it sounds like Godwin might be willing to offer Tampa a hometown discount. Fellow wideout Mike Evans has also expressed a willingness to take a paycut, but Arians isn’t sure that outside FAs will be willing to take less than market value just for the opportunity to play with Brady and the Bucs. “Dollars still talk,” the 68-year-old HC said (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). Because of how many in-house priorities Tampa has, Arians suggested his club might not be especially active in the free agent market anyway.
In addition to Evans’ willingness to make a personal sacrifice to keep the band together, there are a number of other players who are open to restructuring their own deals, per Arians (Twitter link via Stroud). Such restructures would not result in less money for those players, but it would open up more cap space for the Bucs to retain most, if not all, of their top FAs.
Another free agent the Bucs want to keep, Antonio Brown, obviously has off-field matters to tend to. Britney Taylor’s lawsuit against Brown is set for trial in December, and as Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic writes, Taylor wants to subpoena copies of all documentation the Bucs have related to Brown (she is subpoenaing Brown’s three former teams as well). Taylor is not seeking to depose any team executives, and she needs court approval to send the subpoenas.

Bucs To Talk Extension With Tom Brady?

February 24th, 2021 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

Jason Licht talks to Tom Brady “often.” Their next convo could include contract extension discussions, the Buccaneers GM says.

“It’s a possibility. He certainly didn’t look like he slowed down any this year,” Licht told Rich Eisen (Twitter link). “It appears that he had a really good time this year winning the Super Bowl…It’s a match made in heaven, so we’d like to keep this going.”

A Brady extension isn’t necessarily the team’s No. 1 priority, since the veteran is signed through the 2021 season. However, a new deal could allow the Buccaneers to retain more of their standout free agents and retool as necessary. This year’s out-of-contract group includes wide receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, tight end Rob Gronkowski, linebacker Lavonte David, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and running back Leonard Fournette. Fortunately for the Bucs, Godwin seems willing to give a bit of a hometown discount.

“The goal obviously is to get paid, right? But, at the same time, I’m not stupid,” Godwin said recently. “I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I’m going to be miserable for some years to come just for a couple extra dollars. I think my happiness is paramount in all of this and part of that happiness is winning. Just having a bunch of different guys on the offensive side that can make your job a little bit easier but also give you the best chance to win is something that I’m strongly considering.”

Brady, who will turn 44 before Week 1, still says that he wants to play forever and ever. Meanwhile, he’ll undergo surgery to clean up a lingering knee injury that hampered him in 2020.

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