Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who underwent left knee surgery several weeks ago, is expected to lead his teammates in informal workouts when he’s ready to throw. According to Charean Williams of NBC Sports, the 43-year-old Brady told Jenna Laine of ESPN that he will spearhead informal workouts away from the team facility again if he’s ready to throw the football. “Yeah,” Brady said during the Bruce Arians’ Family Foundation gala on Sunday, adding that he would see how things play out over the course of the offseason. Brady said a lot of things could change and happen over the course of the offseason, but he and teammates are raring and ready to get back to work as the Buccaneers try to go for back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
The Buccaneers will be bringing back all of their 22 starters from last season’s Super Bowl-winning squad. They re-signed some of their key players, including pass rusher Shaquil Barrett, linebacker Lavonte David, running back Leonard Fournette, kicker Ryan Succop and tight end Rob Gronkowski. They also used the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin, keeping him in Tampa Bay for one more year.
Informal workouts part of Brady’s preparation
“As soon as I’m ready to throw, that will be really important for me,” said Brady, adding that informal workouts are a big part of his preparation. When the veteran quarterback joined the Buccaneers last season on a two-year deal worth $50 million, he arranged offseason workouts at a local high school amid the COVID-19 pandemic to get accustomed to his new receivers and teammates.
There was also an incident where Brady tried to work out at a local park amid the pandemic but he was booted out by a recreation worker. Earlier, the Buccaneers players said they won’t participate in in-person voluntary work this offseason but they are planning to train together at some point in the offseason. Williams reported that it remains to be seen where Brady and his teammates would hold the informal workouts or when they plan to do it.
It is presumed that the Brady-led workouts would happen after organized team activities end in June.
Brady gives update on knee surgery
During the Bruce Arians' Family Foundation gala, Brady also provided update on his knee surgery, per Jelani Scott of NFL.com. "I feel pretty good. I don't know if I could go this week, but, we'll see how things play out," said Brady, adding that he hopes to participate in June minicamp.
Brady also assured fans that he would be ready to go before the season starts. Earlier, head coach Bruce Arians said the procedure was merely a “clean up” and Brady would be good to go by June. The Buccaneers recently signed Brady to a four-year contract extension that is essentially a one-year deal. The extension would allow Brady to fulfill his goal of playing until he’s 45 years old.
