Update: ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reports that Patriots QB Tom Brady does not believe he will be playing in New England next season and is expecting to enter free agency.
Brady has shared this belief with others, per Darlington. He adds there’s a belief in his circles the Patriots will have an opportunity to convince him to stay.
However, Brady is currently evaluating the NFL landscape with the intention of finding a new home.
According to Karen Guregian, the Patriots have still not yet reached out to Tom Brady‘s agent to schedule a meeting for contract negotiations at the Combine this week.
“It’s not looking good,” one source said about the chances of Brady re-signing.
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur adds the general buzz at the Combine is that Brady won’t be back in New England in 2020. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington said he would even be “stunned” if Brady ended up a Patriot.
It is worth mentioning that Ben Volin of the Boston Globe says Patriots HC Bill Belichick doesn’t see much sense in talking to Brady about a new deal until the details of the CBA situation are known.
It’s also worth mentioning the Patriots have reportedly met with agents for other free agents, like S Devin McCourty (Doug Kyed) and LB Jamie Collins (Jim McBride) at the Combine.
Earlier this week NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported the two sides were tentatively scheduled to meet this week at the Combine. Traditionally this is the time when Brady and New England have tended to work out their deals in the past.
However, the longer the two sides go without a meeting, the more likely it seems that Brady will test free agency for the first time in his 20-year career.
Once on the open market, the Chargers, Raiders and Buccaneers are among the teams that have been linked to him.
Brady, 42, is a former sixth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2000. He was in the final year of his two-year, $41 million contract when he agreed to a two-year extension a few weeks ago.
Brady made $23 million for the 2019 season and is in line to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
In 2019, Brady appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots and threw for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 34 yards and three touchdowns.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2020 Free Agents list.
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