Getty Tom Brady is on his way to making a full recovery after knee surgery.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have repeatedly brushed aside Tom Brady’s knee injury as a minor thing, but new details indicate things may be a little more severe than the team is revealing. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported that a source close to Brady noted the quarterback was “more injured than people realized.”
“A four-month recovery sure doesn’t sound like a ‘cleanup’ procedure,” Volin noted. “One of Brady’s friends told me after the Super Bowl that Brady’s knee was more injured than people realized. ‘When it comes out, all this does is build his legend even greater,’ the friend said.”
Few details have emerged about when Brady sustained the injury and how long he played through the discomfort. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians described Brady’s surgery as a little “clean up.” ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported that Brady had this procedure planned “for months.”
“A source close to the situation told ESPN that this was not a recent injury and that Brady, who led the Bucs to a victory Sunday in Super Bowl LV, had been planning the procedure for months,” Laine noted. “It wasn’t immediately clear which knee the procedure will be on. Brady was not listed on the Bucs’ injury report all season.”
ALL the latest Bucs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bucs newsletter here!
Brady Will Not be Able to Resume Football Activities Until June
As Volin detailed, Arians may be underselling Brady’s injury a bit as the coach admitted the quarterback will not be able to resume football activities until “somewhere around June.” Arians explained that Brady can still be involved with his receivers even if he is not the one throwing the passes.
“I think he’s probably looking [at] somewhere around June, right now, from what I hear,” Arians said, per ESPN’s Laine. “His leadership — he doesn’t have to be out there throwing it anymore. He can be there standing and coach the s— out of them. Wherever they meet and work out — I’m hoping we have an offseason for the younger players. Tom doesn’t need it, but for the younger players — first-, second- and third-year players — we’ve missed two years of player development with where we’re at now. We don’t need to miss another one.”
The NFL offseason is expected to once again be non-traditional for the second straight year. This means that on-field workouts may not even happen, making Brady’s availability this summer not as relevant. Despite there not being formal workouts, we know that Brady organized his own throwing sessions with receivers after he signed with the Bucs. It will be worth watching to see if Brady once again does the same thing despite recovering from knee surgery.
The Bucs Have Hinted at Signing Brady to a Possible Extension
Even if Brady’s injury was more serious than was made public, the Buccaneers do not appear to be concerned about the long-term implications of the surgery. Bucs general manager Jason Licht indicated on multiple occasions that the team is open to signing Brady to a contract extension. Brady is entering the final season of a two-year, $50 million contract he signed in 2020.
“Bruce and I both have a great relationship with Tom, and I have a good relationship with his agent,” Licht explained, per ESPN. “We thought Tom played incredibly well this year, along with the entire team. We would love to have Tom play here — I can speak for Bruce — I think as long as he continues to want to play. If that comes to fruition at some point, we’d be elated. But I’d like to keep those conversations private right now.”
READ NEXT: Tom Brady & Bucs Expected to Form ‘Super Team’ in Free Agency: Report
Comments
New Details on Tom Brady’s Injury Indicate It Is More Severe: Report