Eric Mangini has full confidence in Tom Brady being able to play until he’s 45 years old.
Brady finishing out his career in New England, however, is a different story.
The veteran quarterback’s future with the Patriots beyond 2019 is uncertain. Brady and the team agreed to a de-facto one-year deal ahead of the QB’s 20th NFL season, meaning he’ll be eligible to hit free agency next offseason. The sides in all likelihood would reach another agreement next year if Brady still is capable of playing at a high level, but it’s tough to bank on a player, even the greatest of all time, maintaining elite status in their 40s.
Other factors outside of his own play could force Brady out of Foxboro as well. Mangini laid out two of these possible scenarios Tuesday during an appearance on FOX Sports 1’s “Undisputed.”
“I think the issue in New England will be more a function of you get into a Jimmy Garoppolo-type situation again,” Mangini said. “So let’s say the new kid they drafted, Jarrett Stidham — had a pretty good preseason opener, very similar to Garoppolo’s opener. Two or three years down the road he’s an emerging guy, it comes to the point where they gotta keep Tom another year or they gotta move on. I think that’s where it’s gonna be really interesting. In terms of his ability to consistently perform at a high level, that’s there. He’s shown his ability to do that, and he also has the benefit of having Josh McDaniels there and Dante Scarnecchia there and continuity in the coaching staff. Another thing that I could see moving him out of there is if that changed dramatically. Let’s say Josh goes and gets a head-coaching job and Dante retires again. Playing with a totally different staff could also be a consideration for Tom.”
We probably should pump the brakes on the Stidham hype train for now. The 2019 fourth-round pick was impressive in his professional debut, but he has a long way to go before we’re legitimately considering him as Brady’s successor. A coaching staff shuffle very well could be in the cards, however, as McDaniels likely will be one of the more coveted coaching commodities each offseason as long as he’s serving as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. But who knows, maybe McDaniels is waiting to eventually take over the reins once Bill Belichick eventually calls it a career.
Those are matters for down the road, though. For now, Brady, Belichick and Co. are trying to become back-to-back Super Bowl champions for the second time in their dynastic run.
