There will be no hold out this time. In two years, who knows? New England Patriots fans can rest easy, knowing that Tom Brady will remain under contract through his 44th birthday and likely beyond. I know. It was a close one.
All joking aside, Brady was, for the first time, entering training camp on the final year of a contract. As of Sunday, that’s no longer true. The future Hall of Famer and the Patriots agreed on a two-year, $70 million extension that also comes with a raise this season. Brady was due to make $15 million in 2019. Now he’ll make $23 million so he can stop worrying so much about his finances and pinching those pennies.
Patriots’ QB Tom Brady is signing a two-year extension that will pay him $23 million this year, per source. It makes him the 6th highest-paid QB in the league.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2019
In case you haven’t heard, Brady is a 14-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All Pro, a six-time Super Bowl Champion and a three-time NFL MVP. Last year he completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Oh, and he won another Super Bowl.
He owns a 207-60 career mark in the regular season and a 30-10 record in the postseason. In Super Bowls, he’s 6-3.
.@TomBrady @Patriots admiring his 2017 MVP uniform. #PFHOF19 pic.twitter.com/ew79Sjv2oY
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 4, 2019
The extension, though it gives Brady an $8 million raise, somehow opened up $5.5 million in cap space for New England. No team is better at working the NFL’s salary rules than the Pats and this is, frankly, a masterwork.
In reality, how long will Brady continue playing?
I got a chance to hold my draft card a few hours ago. Never forget where you came from. pic.twitter.com/sqBgAbWLCZ
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) August 4, 2019
If he’s winning and the team’s winning, he’ll play as long as he wants. But the investment the team put in Jimmy Garoppolo as his eventual successor is now enjoyed by the San Francisco 49ers. Brady’s current back up, Bryan Hoyer, is someone no one wants to see take the field. Is fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham out of Auburn the eventual guy? Again, it’s hard to say. Brady was a sixth round pick himself so anything can happen.
