Brady Not Concerned With Contract
Still, the 32-year-old can't play forever, and he has never been the game's highest-paid player. That fact apparently isn't an issue with Brady, who prefers to spend his energy on the game.
"Those contract things … they always find a way to work themselves out one way or another, so I think the important part this time of the year is to focus on the most important priority, which is having a great season," Brady said in his Tuesday news conference, according to Boston.com. "I'm committed to that and I know my teammates are committed to that and hopefully if we all go out and play well, we'll all be playing for a long time."
Brady is under contract through the 2010 season and is due to receive about $8 million this season as part of a six-year, $60 million contract signed in May of 2005. While Brady is hardly struggling to put food on the table, seeing his counterparts sign contracts (like Rivers' six-year $93 million contract or Manning's six-year, $97 million contract) might upset Brady. According to the quarterback, however, that's not the case.
"I think it's great for those players," Brady said. "They've worked hard to deserve those. Any time a guy gets a contract like that it's a pretty cool thing. I've had that experience a couple of times. It really shows the health of the league. … The league is expanding and growing and hopefully I'm able to participate for as long as somebody else wants me."
Brady said that his injury last year, which forced him to miss the entire season, helped organize his thoughts in terms of what he focuses on.
"We all wish we were paid more. That's not the reality," Brady said. "I'm focused on this year. I've thought about it. I just want to go out and have a great year. Believe me, nothing is guaranteed. That's what I learned last year. You don't know whether you'll be out here next week or the following week, so I think the most important thing is to focus on this week and the more prepared you are for this week, the less chance you'll have to play poorly or to have an injury."
