Getty Shannon Sharpe believes Tom Brady is nearing the end of the road.
One NFL legend believes Tom Brady is at the end of the road.
Shannon Sharpe, who co-hosts Fox’s “Undisputed” and is a Pro Football Hall-of-Fame player, contrasted the difference between the 41-year-old Drew Brees and the 42-year-old Brady as they both return for the 2020 season.
“Moving forward, Drew Brees is a better, more valuable (quarterback)… because I believe he has more in the tank,” Sharpe said. “Tom Brady is on fumes. If I’m him, the next gas station, I’m not passing it. I’m going to fill up, because sometimes you’re like, ‘No, I can get something cheaper down the road.’ Don’t you pass that gas station, Tom, because it’s almost over.”
Brees’ Stats Far Better Than Brady in 2019
Brees recently declared his return for a 20th season as he’ll return for another year with the New Orleans Saints. In Brady’s case, he’ll likely return for a 21st season. But the question is, with which team?
The 41-year-old Brees was injured and missed five starts during the 2019 campaign due to injury. Despite his prolonged absence, he still appeared in his 13th Pro Bowl while having an extremely efficient season. The Saints quarterback completed 74.3 percent of his passes with a 116.3 quarterback rating. The completion percentage led the NFL while the quarterback rating ranked second in the league.
Meanwhile, Brady struggled in 2019 in one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. The veteran quarterback threw 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions with 6.6 yards per pass attempt, a 60.8 completion percentage and 88.0 quarterback rating. All three of those categories ranked towards the bottom of the league among starting quarterbacks.
Regardless of what team Brady ends up on for the 2020 season, we’ll see if Sharpe’s point holds true and if the statistics continue to favor the Saints quarterback over the Patriots QB.
Brady’s ‘Target Price’ For Next Contract
If you’re wondering what Brady’s “target price” for his next contract is, it’s somewhere around $33 million per season from CBS Sports‘ Joel Corry.
“Brady has consistently stated he wants to play at until he’s at least 45. He is already in uncharted territory as the oldest full-time starting quarterback in league history. Ben Roethlisberger, who will be 38 in March, sets the older quarterback market. The Steelers gave him a two-year, $68 million extension where $37.5 million was fully guaranteed last April.
If Brady ultimately is going to stay in New England, it would be beneficial for the Patriots to get a deal done before the last day of the 2019 league year on March 18. That’s when his 2020 and 2021 contract years void. The Patriots will have a $13.5 million salary cap charge from the bonus proration with those years actually voiding regardless of Brady’s decision about where to play next season.”
This report is very similar to the previous one that stated that the Patriots were willing to offer Brady upwards of $30 million per season and Larry Fitzgerald Sr.’s report that the Las Vegas Raiders were willing to give Brady two years and $60 million.
Based upon these recent reports, it doesn’t seem as if NFL teams are hesitating on offering Brady a lot of money. However, it should be interesting to see how many years NFL teams are willing to give the 42-year-old quarterback once free agency starts in March.
READ NEXT: Patriots’ Tom Brady’s ‘Target Price’ for Next Contract