Just like much of the sporting world, the New England Patriots have some doubts that Tom Brady will fulfill his promise to play until he’s 45 years old. They aren’t convinced he’s going to play past 2019, according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard.
Here’s what Bedard wrote about the topic:
“The team, sources told BSJ, has not ruled out the possibility that Brady could retire after this season, especially if he wins another Super Bowl. That would give him four in his final six seasons and would trump the three he won his first four seasons as a starter. Seven total Super Bowl titles would break the franchise tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leave Brady two titles clear of any other player, and would represent a largely unbreakable record.”
Brady has been adamant that he’ll play until he’s 45, and will take that as a moment to reflect upon whether he’s willing to go further. However, he and his wife openly negotiated “two more Super Bowls” in Brady’s documentary-series, which filmed before the 2017 season. Since filming, Brady has appeared in two Super Bowls and won one.
An argument could also be made that Brady’s insistence that he’ll play until he’s 45 could be an easy means to avoid the media’s constant question about retirement. He’s got a go-to answer that puts the thought of retirement out of range for the discussion.
Brady’s contract is set to expire after the 2019 season. For now, there have been no reports of discussions to extend the deal. The Patriots could allow Brady’s contract to expire, at which point they could place the franchise tag on him to retain him another year. The advantage of the franchise tag is that, while it creates a large cap hit for 2020, it stops the Patriots from having to give Brady a major guaranteed sum in 2019, which would likely be necessary for an extension.
No doubt, Brady deserves that sum for his play. And yet, that’s not really how the Patriots think, under Bill Belichick. When they can save money, they save it, particularly if they can eliminate a cap hit for 2020 in the event Brady retires.
