A former New England Patriots' executive and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe presented contrasting views on the future of veteran quarterback Tom Brady with the Patriots. The Patriots recently signed 42-year-old Brady to a two-year contract extension worth $70 million, including an $8 million salary increase for the 2019 season. At first, it looked like the Patriots secured Brady’s tenure with the team until the 2021 season when he will be 44 years old. When the dust settled, however, it was discovered that the two years in Brady’s contract are voidable and he could become a free agent after the 2019 season.
Brady turning free agent is inevitable as the deal prohibits the use of the franchise tag after the 2019 season, but the two sides can avoid it if they agree to rework the deal. Recently, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported that the two sides are flexible towards reworking the deal before the contract voids so as to avoid Brady from hitting the free agent market.
Lombardi convinced Brady will be a Patriot for life
For former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi, there’s nothing to be alarmed at with Brady’s two-year extension. He believes that the veteran quarterback will end his career in New England. In a piece that he wrote for The Athletic, Lombardi, who worked with Belichick for several years, insisted that Brady being on a year-to-year deal is a non-story.
Lombardi added that Brady selling his Massachusetts home has nothing to do with his impending free agency after the 2019 season. Lombardi also stressed that it’s hard to imagine Brady wearing another NFL jersey in his career, most especially due to his closeness with Patriots CEO Robert Kraft. “Brady will always be a Patriot.
That I do know,” Lombardi pointed out. Earlier, Brady downplayed his contract extension, saying he’s focused on leading the Patriots to their seventh Super Bowl title. If ever Brady tests the free-agent market, two NFL contract advisers and one former general manager predict that he can generate a salary of between $35 million to $45 million per year.
Sharpe has crazy idea about Brady’s future
Sharpe, for his part, believes that there’s a strong chance that the Patriots might move on from Brady after this season. During Friday’s episode of “Undisputed” on Fox Sports 1, Sharpe raised the possibility that the Patriots might release or trade Brady, who could finish his career in another organization. Sharpe cited the incident where Patriots head coach Bill Belichick tried to move on from Brady and planned to make Jimmy Garoppolo the starting quarterback in the immediate future. However, Kraft then ordered Belichick to trade Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers after Brady declared that he’s planning to play until he’s 45 years old. “Once you’ve tried to move on from a player, it makes it a lot easier to do it again, even the great Tom Brady. He knows that Coach (Bill) Belichick tried to move on without him,” Sharpe insisted.
