It’s tough to imagine Tom Brady playing for a team other than the Patriots, but it soon could become reality.
Brady is on an expiring contract with New England, meaning he’ll be eligible to hit free agency for the first time in his lengthy career this offseason. The 42-year-old, of course, could elect to hang up his cleats at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign, but given his unprecedented ability to fend off Father Time, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Brady back on the field in 2020.
We’ve already heard one report indicate a return to Foxboro is the “least likely option” for Brady after this season, which has opened the floodgates for the football world to speculate where the six-time Super Bowl champion could take his talents should he actually leave the Patriots. ESPN, however, believes Brady will re-up with the only NFL team he’s ever known.
“This is uncharted territory as no 42-year-old quarterback has ever started all 16 regular-season games, which probably best explains why the Patriots and Brady are in a year-to-year situation with his contract,” Mike Reiss wrote. “Though there is discussion about Brady’s plans for after the season, he is still operating at a high level, which shouldn’t give the Patriots pause in extending his deal for 2020, and perhaps even beyond that.”
The Patriots having Brady on a de facto one-year deal probably shouldn’t be taken as a slight to the future Hall of Famer, who was fresh off yet another Lombardi Trophy this past offseason. As Reiss notes, the league never has seen longevity quite like Brady’s, which makes it more than understandable for New England to want to take a wait-and-see approach with the veteran signal-caller.
But if Brady still is playing at a high level come next spring, there’s no real reason to believe he and the Patriots won’t be able to come to terms on a new deal.
