TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady has agreed to a contract extension with the Bucs that will enable him to fulfill his goal of playing in the NFL until he is at least 45.
The Bucs added a year to Brady’s deal, which now runs through the 2022 season, and gained some much-needed salary-cap room in the process with three voidable years.
“When we acquired Tom a year ago, we were extremely excited about the leadership, poise and winning track record that he would bring to our locker room,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said in a statement released by the team.
“Since that time, he has proven himself to be the ultimate competitor and delivered in every way we had imagined, helping us capture the Lombardi Trophy. Year after year, Tom proves that he remains one of the elite quarterbacks in this game, and we couldn’t be happier to keep him in Tampa Bay as we continue to pursue our goals together.”
Details of the new deal weren’t released by the team. According to reports, it represents a savings of $19 million against the 2021 salary cap for the Bucs, who were approximately $7.2 million over the $182.5 million salary cap after designating receiver Chris Godwin as their franchise player and re-signing linebacker Lavonte David to a team-friendly two-year, $25 million contract. David’s deal included three voidable years that lowered his cap value to $3.5 million for 2021.
Brady, who signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Bucs last March, was due to count $28.4 million against the salary cap because of the incentives he earned in leading the Bucs to a win in Super Bowl 55.
By renegotiating Brady’s contract, the Bucs will have more salary-cap space to re-sign outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and other free agents such as Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, Ryan Succop and Antonio Brown.
At 43, Brady showed no signs of slowing down after joining the Bucs.
Despite no offseason program, unfamiliarity with teammates, the first year in a new offense and no preseason games, Brady had one of the best seasons of his career in 2020.
He passed for 4,633 yards with a team-record 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before adding 10 more TD passes in the postseason.
Brady has expressed an interest in playing quarterback in the NFL until he is at least 45.
After winning Super Bowl 55, Brady said his wife, Gisele, greeted him on the field by asking, “What more do you have to prove?”
Apparently, 14 appearances in the conference championship game, 10 Super Bowls and seven Lombardi Trophies is not enough for Brady.
He wants to play until he is at least 45. If he does, it will be for Tampa Bay.
