According to rumours, Tom Brady and the Patriots have not talked about a new contract since August.
Sources say it’s been months since quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots discussed a new contract.
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Their Best Interest in
Mike Reiss of ESPN reports that negotiations between the two parties have stalled since August, casting question on whether or not the 42-year-old will return to New England.
Since the Patriots will be saddled with $13.5 million in dead salary-cap space on March 18 when Brady becomes a free agency, Reiss pointed out that it would be in their best interest to sign him before then.
Tom Brady’s Career
Although Brady has spent his entire 20-year NFL career with the Patriots, he may soon find himself on the move due to the team’s offensive woes and their shocking elimination by the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Round.
Although they still went 12-4 and won the AFC East, the Patriots were sent to the wild-card round for the first time in ten years after a surprising Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Although the Patriots’ defence was top-notch this year, the offence was wildly unpredictable. Even though they were eighth in scoring, the team’s offence clearly suffered without Rob Gronkowski (retired tight end) and Josh Gordon (released wide out).
Julian Edelman was a Huge Help for Brady
Veteran slot receiver Julian Edelman was a huge help for Brady, as he finished with 100 receptions while no other non-running back on the squad had more than 29 receptions.
The quarterback suffered an injury in Week 1 and posted his poorest overall performance in years, keeping him out of the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2008.
With a 60.8 percent completion rate, his lowest since 2013, he threw for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns in 16 games, both of which were his lowest totals since 2006.
Some may speculate that Brady may retire due to his advanced age and lacklustre performance, but he claimed that doing so was “very unlikely” following the loss to Tennessee.
The Subject of Brady’s Future
Both Tom Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have been mum on the subject of Brady’s future, but an unnamed NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic that they feel Brady and Belichick want to win championships on their own.
They are the most successful quarterback-head coach duo in NFL history, having won six Super Bowls between them, but maybe Brady and Belichick want to prove they can win without each other.
The Carolina Panthers, Next York Giants, and Cleveland Browns are all interested in Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator and a potential new head coach if Brady leaves.
If That Does Occur,
the Patriots will have some tough decisions to make about their starting quarterback. The Patriots’ top internal candidate is rookie fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham, but they could also look to the draught or explore the free-agent market,
which could include Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill, and Dak Prescott (although Prescott is likely to be re-signed or franchised).
