Tom Brady is signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through 2021, but the team hinted at a potential extension for their star quarterback. Prior to the Super Bowl, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians declined to comment on specifics but admitted he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Brady signed another deal with the Bucs.
“Yeah, I don’t have anything to do with contracts,” Arians responded about a potential extension for Brady. “So, that would be an all Jason [Licht] question. I think Tom’s real happy where he’s at, and I wouldn’t be surprised [if Brady signed an extension].”
Brady is under contract for one more season with the Buccaneers but would be a free agent once again in 2022 unless he agrees to an extension with the team. Just days before the Super Bowl, the legendary quarterback alluded to playing beyond the age of 45.
Brady on Playing Past Age 45: ‘I Would Definitely Consider That’
Brady has repeatedly stated he wants to play until he is 45, which would require the quarterback to sign at least one more contract to reach this goal. During his Super Bowl media availability, Brady was asked if he could play even beyond this target age.
“Yeah, definitely. I would definitely consider that [playing beyond the age of 45] and, again, it’s a physical sport,” Brady answered. “Just the perspective I have on that is you never know when that moment is just because it’s a contact sport and there’s a lot of training that goes into it. Again, it has to be a 100 percent commitment from myself to keep doing it. I’ve been very fortunate over the years. [Personal trainer Alex Guerrero] and I work really hard to make sure physically I can perform at my best because you take different hits. Over the course of the year, you deal with different bumps and bruises, different injuries and so forth. It’s just going to be me continuing to make that commitment to making it part of my year-round process to play football and continue my career.”
Gronk Wants to Return to the Bucs for 2021
The Buccaneers have a number of key players that are set to hit free agency after the Super Bowl. This includes Rob Gronkowski who has already said he would like to return to Tampa for another season.
“Yeah, you gotta,” Gronkowski told NFL Network. “I feel like this team was built to win right now. It was put together this year to win right now. It always pops up in your mind, you’re thinking about the future a little bit. I can definitely see this team also having a lot of talent come back and have another successful run next year as well with me.”
It sounds like Brady and Gronkowski both want to be back with the Buccaneers next season. The question is whether Brady will be the Bucs quarterback in 2022. For now, Brady is focused on being even better with the Bucs next season, regardless of what happens in the Super Bowl.
“As long as I’m playing, I want to improve and get better and I think next year is going to be a lot better than this year,” Brady explained. “I feel like I’ll be in a much better place mentally. I’m going to train a lot better. Physically, next year, I’ll be in a better place. I know as soon as this game ends we’re on to next season. So, we’ll get ready for this season and then start thinking about next year.”
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Buccaneers Break Silence on Tom Brady’s Future