New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft has repeatedly said that the team plans to bring back veteran quarterback Tom Brady for his 21st season. In a past interview, Kraft said he considers the 42-year-old Brady as blood family, owing to his 20-year stay with the Patriots. It has been reported that the Patriots are willing to sign Brady to a contract worth in excess of $30 million per season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. However, a separate report by Mike Giardi of NFL Media said Brady will not ask the Patriots for that amount, but instead he wants the team to sign additional weapons on offense.

From now until the start of the legal tampering window on March 16 for upcoming free agents, the Patriots have one month to convince Brady to sign a new deal with the team.

Mike Reiss of ESPN reported on Sunday that there’s no movement on talks regarding a new deal between Brady and the Patriots. The development was expected since Brady intends to be open-minded about the free agency process, meaning he could meet with other teams and determine their offers. Also, Rapoport said Kraft might allow Brady to test the market before asking him to decide on his future with the team.“With no movement to date, I’m sticking with 80% odds on Brady's return at this time,” Reiss declared.

10 teams interested in Brady

Earlier, it was reported that the Patriots want Brady to decide before the start of free agency on March 18 on whether he will stay in New England or join another team. The Patriots want Brady to decide early so they can sign a veteran quarterback from the free-agent pool who will temporarily take over the reins until second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham or probably another young quarterback is ready to become their starter.

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports said there are 10 teams interested in Brady’s services and could make a run at the veteran quarterback when free agency begins. Rumors have it that the Las Vegas-bound Oakland Raiders are ready to offer Brady a two-year contract worth $30 million, making him one of the highest-paid signal-callers in the league.

The Los Angeles Chargers are also reportedly in Brady after parting ways with long-time quarterback Phillip Rivers.

Patriots could turn to Rivers if Brady leaves

According to former Patriots backup quarterback and current NFL analyst Matt Cassel, the team could turn to Rivers as a bridge quarterback if Brady decides to leave New England. “Bringing in Rivers would also give Jarrett Stidham another opportunity to grow behind a veteran guy who's played at a high level for a long time,” Cassel said in his opinion piece on NBC Sports. Cassel played as Brady’s backup from 2005 to 2008.
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