Tag: Tom Brady contract

Tom Brady’s contract with Buccaneers may hint at future plans

Tom Brady’s contract might mean he’s playing more than two seasons.

It doesn’t look like there will be an NFL without Tom Brady any time soon. Details in Brady’s new contract with the Buccaneers seem to indicate that he could play longer than the two years he signed for.

Tampa Bay and Brady agreed to a two-year contract worth $50 million with an additional $9 million available in incentives. This would give the Buccaneers a decent window to build around the future Hall of Famer and contend for multiple Super Bowls.

ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter explained just how a clause to prevent a franchise tag at the expiration of the contract hints at Brady’s future plans.

“He’s set up on a two-year contract, the fact that the Buccaneers couldn’t tag him after two years,” Schefter stated on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “So if he’s putting in a clause that says he can’t be tagged after two years, that tells you that he’s thinking beyond even this contract, and he thinks there’s a chance that he could be playing beyond the two years in Tampa.”

“Because why would you even bother putting in a clause at that point in time, if you don’t have some sort of thought that maybe there’s a chance you’re going to be playing beyond the two years that you just signed up for in Tampa?”

This isn’t the first time a clause like this has been used. It’s actually not even the first time that Brady has had this clause in a contract. In his last extension with New England, Brady prevented the Patriots from using the franchising tag on him following the 2019 season.

The former Patriot may not be with the Buccaneers following the 2021 season, but it certainly seems like he’s planning to play after that.

“I always said my mid-40s,” Brady said about his eventual retirement in an interview with ESPN in 2017, “and naturally that means around 45. If I get there and I still feel like I do today, I don’t see why I wouldn’t want to continue.”

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There’s a reason some Bucs players were quiet on social media after the Brady signing

Find out why Tampa Bay Buccaneers players were noticeably quiet on social media following the news of the Tom Brady signing.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are celebrating the signing of quarterback Tom Brady, as the six-time Super Bowl champion will now call Raymond James Stadium his home.

But with the signing of Brady comes the definitive end to the Jameis Winston era. The 2015 number one overall pick failed to develop into the franchise quarterback the Buccaneers had hoped for when they handed over the keys to the franchise to the former Heisman Trophy winner. Inconsistent play on the field, coupled with trouble off of it, led to just one winning season out of five with zero playoff appearances. Winston now hits the open market for the first time in his career.

And, if you wondered at all why Bucs players weren’t celebrating on social media after the Brady news broke, you can thank their love and respect for Winston for that. According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, several players were “refraining from reacting to the Brady signing out of respect for Winston, who was a valued presence in their locker room.”

Per center Ryan Jensen:

“Battling with Jameis the last two years has been some of the most fun I’ve had playing football. Not only did we become teammates but also good friends over the last two years. This business is always tough and just that — a business. I’m excited to see where Jameis lands. With that, I’m excited to go to battle with Tom and excited to see what he will bring to the organization.”

Remember, too, that Winston was a part of a group of Bucs players who went to former Bucs DT Gerald McCoy’s son’s Senior Night back in the fall when McCoy was in Carolina with the Panthers. Teammates loved Winston, and even though he may not be a part of the Bucs locker room anymore, he’ll still be a part of their lives.

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New England Patriots should target former Georgia football WR this offseason

Why the New England Patriots should target former Georgia football WR AJ Green this offseason.

The New England Patriots are in big need of an elite wide receiver, and a former Bulldog could be the answer to their problems.

The Patriots at one point had Julian Edelman, Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon on the roster. However, Gordon and Brown did not work out, leaving Edelman as the only elite receiver on the depth chart. Edelman was his usual reliable self until injuries slowed him down and forced him to undergo shoulder surgery at the end of the season.

With that in mind, former Georgia wide receiver AJ Green would be a great fit in New England’s offense if he is not franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals. On the topic of being franchise tagged, that is not what Green wants. He will take the money and play if tagged, but he thinks it sends the wrong message.

“The franchise tag is not the best thing,” Green told Elise Jesse of WLWT in Cincinnati. “But like I said, I’m not turning down $18 million.”

Green wants to remain with the Bengals, but a one year tag does not excite him like a multi-year contract would.

Green has spent his entire career with the Bengals, and the 31 year old has earned a spot in the Pro Bowl seven times. There is risk involved with Green, though – he’s played in just 35 of a possible 64 games since 2015.

But when he’s healthy, there’s no denying he is one of the league’s top talents at the receiver position.

Green and the Patriots would be a match made in heaven. Bill Belichick runs a tight shift, likes his players to remain out of the spotlight and enjoys keeping a low profile. That describes Green – one of the most humble players in the league, someone who is rather inactive on social media and a guy who performs at a high level without added drama.

After what the Patriots went through with Gordon and Brown, they’d be thrilled to add a no-drama player like Green.

Tom Brady is a free agent for the first time in nearly two decades, and in order to keep him around owner Robert Kraft will be more inclined to make a move to get more playmakers around his aging quarterback.

New England currently has $42m in cap space, and a large chunk of that would go to Brady. But Kraft knows that if he wants to get Brady another Super Bowl, he will have to make some moves to add an elite wide receiver.

AJ Green, David Andrews and Sony Michel all on the same offense? Yes please.