There isn’t much Tom Brady can say he hasn’t done in the NFL, but as he enters Year 20, the six-time champion is experiencing something new.
For the first time in his career, Brady is set to go into a contract year.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday on Inside Training Camp Live that “no new deal is on the horizon at this point.”
This report echoes what Brady told reporters at mandatory minicamp in June, when he said “I’ve never really talked about my contract or anything like that so I don’t really want to start doing that now.”
It’s a fair point, but he’s also never entered a contract year. There was never much to talk about. Patriots coach Bill Belichick also refused to address Brady’s contract situation at minicamp.
A new deal for Brady at this stage of his career is tough to predict. No quarterback has played at this level for this long, and Brady is the most decorated player in franchise — and probably league — history. He turns 42 in August.
While potential free agent Tom Brady is fun for the rest of the league to think about, don’t expect it to come to fruition, according to Pelissero. He noted the Patriots have a track record of getting deals done late in the summer — including with Brady — so the prospects of him actually seeing the end of his current deal is unlikely.
Patriots veterans are set to report to training camp Wednesday and the team begins practice Thursday.