Getty Tom Brady played through knee pain throughout the 2020 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady does not look like someone who is just a few months removed from having offseason knee surgery. With 100 days to go before the Bucs kickoff the season against the Cowboys, Brady posted a video on Instagram of his recent on-field workouts. Brady’s video is approaching one million views less than 24 hours after the quarterback posted the footage.
The video is notable as Brady is seen throwing without a knee brace for the first time this offseason and shows the quarterback running at a solid pace with no signs of his recent surgery. Brady also had a brief message hinting at his excitement for the upcoming season.
“100 days out,” Brady said on Instagram. “100 percent effort. 100 percent capacity! Tampa LFG.”
Here is a look at Brady showing off his rebuilt knee in the Florida sun.
Brady Described His Procedure as a ‘Pretty Serious Knee Surgery’
Brady’s offseason knee surgery came as a bit of a surprise as the injury was not something the Buccaneers discussed during the season. It is unclear when Brady sustained the injury, but it appears that the quarterback played through the discomfort for at least a portion of 2020. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians initially described Brady’s procedure as a small cleanup, but the legend recently admitted it was a “pretty serious” surgery.
“I had a pretty serious knee surgery this offseason, which is the first surgery I’ve had in about 12 years,” Brady noted on the Hodinkee podcast, via Tampa Bay Times. “I was really interested to see how it was going to go, because last year it just took a lot. Every week I was kind of tending to my knee, and I thought I would love to see a season where I can focus on some other strength stuff that I want to do, some other technique stuff where I’m not just focused on protecting my knee all the time.”
Despite the obvious progress in Brady’s rehab, Arians indicated the Buccaneers will take a cautious approach with him in training camp. Arians noted Brady, “may be doing a lot of coaching” in the coming months instead of his traditional football practices.
“Bucs coach Bruce Arians said he’s not sure how much Tom Brady will be doing in next week’s minicamp,” ESPN’s Jenna Laine tweeted. “He wants to make sure his knee is safe and he’s not getting chased around. ‘He may be doing a lot of coaching,’ Arians said.”
The Bucs Were Against Brady Leading Workouts Away From the Team Facility
There was some disagreement between Brady and Arians over the private workouts the quarterback has been hosting. Arians is in favor of the workouts but preferred Brady and company hold the practices at the team facility.
“Last year was so different because of the pandemic,” Arians explained, per Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. “This year they can be here. Like is said, they wouldn’t be practicing but they could be working on this field. I’d love to see them all out here together.”
Stroud reported a few days later that Brady opted to move the workouts to the Buccaneers’ facility. The bigger question heading into training camp is whether Brady will see the field before the Bucs’ September 9th season opener against the Cowboys.