Tom Brady said Sunday he has spoken with the New England Patriots since the end of the team’s 2019 season.
But according to one report, those conversations did not include any contract talks.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Wednesday on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” that Brady and the Patriots have yet to begin negotiating a potential contract extension. The 42-year-old quarterback is set to hit free agency March 18 if a deal is not reached before then.
“Not contractually — they haven’t had negotiations,” Schefter said. “They haven’t sat down to have the conversation they need to have — ‘Hey, what do you want to do?’ I am sure they are talking generally. Yeah, I am sure. They were at the Super Bowl on Sunday together.”
Schefter did say that he expects Brady and the Patriots to meet and reach a decision by early March, noting how Rob Gronkowski’s delayed retirement last year limited New England’s tight end options.
“Before we get to March 1, I think New England and Tom Brady will figure out if they’re going to stick together or move apart,” Schefter said on WEEI. “I think they have to do that. I think the Patriots need clarity about if they’re going to have their quarterback in place or whether they need to be making contingency plans to move on and to figure out what they’re going to do at the position. The position is just too important for them not to have that clarity early on. … Maybe it goes to March 7 or something. I’m not giving you a hard and fast deadline.”
Schefter also disputed a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport that the Patriots would be willing to pay Brady upward of $30 million in order to re-sign him — though Brady might not demand that much.
“I don’t think they can do that,” Schefter said. “But OK, let’s not let facts get in the way here. … I think it’s easy to use that number — a nice, round, square number, $30 million. I don’t know how real it is or isn’t. That’s all I’m saying.”
