Tom Brady’s contract is set up in a way that Saturday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans could very well be his last with the New England Patriots, and he is no closer to a new deal with the team now than he was five months ago.
While discussing the possibility of Saturday’s game being Brady’s last with the Patriots or, at the very least, last home game at Gillette Stadium, ESPN’s Mike Reiss cited a source who said Brady’s situation with the team is truly a “wait and see.” The two sides have had no contract talks since they agreed to a revised deal back in August.
Live Patriots report on @GetUpESPN, talking Tom Brady. pic.twitter.com/5WN6N6sjZ8
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 3, 2020
Brady could very well be back with the Patriots next season, but this is the first time in his career he has been on the verge of becoming a free agent. His current contract contains a clause that states the team cannot place the franchise tag on him, so he’s going to be free to sign with any team if no extension is reached before March.
Of course, both Brady and the Patriots are trying to prevent the 42-year-old’s contract situation from becoming a distraction. Brady insists he is not thinking about the possibility of playing his final game in New England, and Bill Belichick has avoided the subject all season. That is consistent with the Patriots’ approach and is one of the main reasons they have sustained success over such a long period.
All that said, Brady has given Patriots fans plenty of reasons to believe he could be on his way out the door. If he wants a multi-year deal and New England doesn’t want to give him one at age 43, it’s certainly possible the relationship could end in a way that many never envisioned.
