On the first day of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ three-day minicamp, the intensity of quarterback Tom Brady was on full display in his first full-squad practice since he came back from a 41-day retirement. According to Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times, Brady uttered an expletive after overthrowing wide receiver Jaelon Darden on a downfield route at AdventHealth Training Center. Center Ryan Jensen said he was not surprised by Brady’s intensity, saying “that’s what he does.” Despite being the first day of minicamp, Jensen said Brady expects perfection at all times.
“When he comes back, it’s like that expectation has never changed, so it was good,” said Jensen, adding that Brady’s fire has made practice feel a little bit more competitive today. “And the pace was unreal; it was fast paced,” said Jensen. During the 90-minute workout, Brady worked out with wide receivers Mike Evans and Darden, tight end Codey McElroy and running back Leonard Fournette. The Buccaneers have yet to bring back tight end Rob Gronkowski while receiver Chris Godwin still recovering from a knee surgery. Earlier, wide receiver Cyril Grayson Jr. declared that Godwin could return earlier as expected as he is recovering well from the surgery.
Last season, Godwin caught 98 passes for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns for the Buccaneers, who made it to the playoffs for the second straight year but failed to defend the Super Bowl title after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
After that loss, the 44-year-old Brady announced his retirement from the NFL but changed his mind 41 days later, saying he still has unfinished business.
Brady called Fournette after Patriots visit
After two strong seasons with the Buccaneers that saw him emerge as the team’s No. 1 rusher, running back Leonard Fournette signed a three-year deal worth $21 million with Tampa Bay, in which he could earn as much as $24 million including incentives.
But before he signed a long-term deal with the Buccaneers, Fournette had a free-agent visit to the New England Patriots earlier in the offseason. Shortly after Brady announced his return to the Buccaneers, the quarterback called Fournette and asked him about his free-agent visit to the Patriots. According to Fournette, Brady asked him “What’s your ass doing up there, man?” Two seasons ago, Fournette signed with the Buccaneers days after Brady signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the team after 20 seasons with the Patriots.
Fournette played 13 games in the regular season, running the ball 97 times for 367 yards and 6 touchdowns. He stepped up in the postseason, rushing 64 times for 300 and 3 scores, earning himself the monicker “Playoff Lenny” and eventually “Lombardi Lenny” when the Buccaneers won their first Super Bowl title since 2002 with a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
