New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is once again proving that age is just indeed a number.
Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that the Patriots and Brady have expressed mutual interest in agreeing to a new contract even though the star quarterback is signed through the 2019 season. Howe does however note that talks are still in the early stage and that a deal isn’t a guarantee.
The 39-year-old Brady, who is coming off his 5th career Super Bowl win, a 25-point comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51, dominated the NFL last season by throwing for 3,354 yards along with 28 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. This means that Brady showed zero signs of regression, which can be good and bad for New England.
One of the more interesting story lines that we will be keeping tabs on this off-season is how the Patriots handle their quarterback situation behind Brady with Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. Brissett will likely stay, but Garoppolo’s situation is much more complicated.
The 25-year-old Garoppolo is set to become a free agent after the 2017 season, the final year of his rookie scale deal with the Patriots that will pay him $820,077. On the open market, Garoppolo would land a much larger contract, but the Patriots could also look to maximize Garoppolo’s value right now like they have with past Brady back-up quarterbacks and ship him out for draft picks to address other positions of need.
While the Patriots have posted a high success rate in their trades with quarterbacks setting on the depth chart behind Brady, many believe that Garoppolo is different from any other past Brady backup, and that’s why NFL teams would be willing to give him high draft picks to prior him away from the Patriots.
Brady will turn 40 this off-season, and once his current contract expires in 2019, he will be 42. He is on record for saying he isn’t sure when he wants to retire, and that he doesn’t think it will happen anytime soon due to the way he trains.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
He is currently scheduled to make $14 million in 2017, and then $22 million in 2018 and 2019 which will once again have among the highest paid NFL players the next three seasons.
The bottom line is an extension for Brady, and a trade of Garoppolo would show that the Patriots have the ultimate confidence in one of the best to ever do it.
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