There are currently two years left on Tom Brady's contract. He's also set to turn 41-years-old this upcoming preseason. The standard practice in this situation has been for the team to extend Brady, which the Pats have done in four out of five instances where he's had two years left on his deal (with the lone exception being when he returned from a torn ACL in 2009). But, again, he's soon to be 41-years-old. Any other dude (who hadn't retired several years ago) would serve as a veteran backup as they draft a quarterback in a few weeks. But he's Tom Brady and he's a freak of nature.
Because of that Pats owner Robert Kraft seems totally unconcerned with his longtime quarterback's current status, which sees him making a big enough salary to give the team a serious cap hit over the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Kraft seemed as if he couldn't give less of a crap about the current situation with the default face of the league.
"He'll be 41 when the season starts," Kraft said. "Neither side has an issue with it. If it becomes an issue, we'll deal with it."
Kraft, who has reportedly played a central role in past negotiations with Brady, also spoke on the QB's intent to play into his mid-40s, which he has publicly reiterated on a number of occassions. "I hope he plays," he said. "He's at a different point in his life. He talked about it. It's interesting to see that Tom vs. Time and see where he's at, his kids growing up. But that is something for he and his family to decide what is right for him.
"Me personally, I'd like to see him play as long as he can. I don't think anyone would have believed 10 years ago that he would have played this year, gone to the Super Bowl and been MVP of the league at 40 years old. It's just unbelievable. It speaks to the way he takes care of himself, the way he trains, how much film he watches, one of the hardest working guys. He is driven to excel. I think as long as he feels he is like that, he'll keep playing. We're so lucky to have him in our system."
Five more years, man. You heard it here first eighth or ninth.
