Veteran quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady has agreed a deal to extend his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through the 2022 season, ESPN reported on Friday.
Brady last month led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl title in his first season with the club when they beat defending champions Kansas City Chiefs, with the 43-year-old securing a record-extending seventh championship ring in the process.
“In pursuit of 8...LFG @Buccaneers we’re keeping the band together,” Brady tweeted.
In pursuit of 8...LFG @Buccaneers we’re keeping the band together pic.twitter.com/49zUwS5l3D
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 12, 2021
ESPN said the new deal voided a one-year extension and saved the Buccaneers $19m against the salary cap.
Brady, who won six Super Bowls in 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, left the franchise before signing a two-year, $50m contract with the Bucs last year.
Widely considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time, Brady said last month that he had no plans to retire while he was still physically fit.
“I think next year’s going to be a lot better than this year,” he said before the Super Bowl.
“I feel like I’ll be in a much better place mentally. I’m going to train a lot better this year. Physically, next year I’ll be in a better place.”
The news comes on the same day Brady’s successor with the Patriots, veteran quarterback Cam Newton, was reportedly completing an agreement to return to New England.
The one-year deal is worth close to $14 million, according to the Boston Globe. With the new pact, the Patriots bring back the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player after an up-and-down 2020 season. He missed time after contracting Covid-19 and struggled to lead the offense as he tried to fill the void created by Brady’s departure to join the Buccaneers.
The Patriots finished 7-9, missing the postseason for the first time since 2008 when Brady sustained a season-ending knee injury in the opener.
New England could still pursue a long-term option at quarterback through the draft, but this move for now sets Newton up to be the front-runner to start again in 2021.
