Tom Brady will take the field Thursday night when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys in the first game of the 2021 NFL regular season.
But it apparently wasn't the easiest offseason for the Bucs quarterback, who underwent knee surgery after Tampa Bay's Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported Thursday, citing a source, that Brady's procedure was serious enough that the recovery spanned his entire offseason.
Brady reportedly needed to follow a detailed rehab plan over the course of several months, a process presumably complicated to some extent by the seven-time Super Bowl champion having COVID-19 shortly after the Buccaneers' championship parade.
Brady revealed in May that his knee procedure -- which he called "pretty serious" -- was the first surgery he had in about 12 years. The longtime New England Patriots superstar tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2008 season, costing him the remainder of that campaign, but he otherwise hasn't missed a game due to injury in his NFL career.
Tom Brady, who's entering his 22nd NFL season at age 44, threw for 4,633 yards with 40 touchdowns to 12 interceptions last season, his first with Tampa Bay after more than two decades in New England.
