Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said on Wednesday that he and coach Bruce Arians would be “delighted” to strike a deal with quarterback Tom Brady to keep him in Tampa after his two-year contract expires after the 2021 season.
Light said Tuesday on “The Rich Eisen Showthat it is an option to sign Brady for an extension, but declined to discuss the details of any talks with Brady’s agent, Don Yee, when asked Wednesday at the Bucs’ Combination Zoom conference and Free Agency Zoom .
“Bruce and I both have a good relationship with Tom, and I have a good relationship with his agent,” said Licht. “We thought Tom was playing incredibly well this year, along with the whole team. We would love to see Tom play here – I can speak for Bruce – I think, as long as he wants to keep playing. If that works out. “We’re delighted. But I’d like to keep those conversations private for now.”
Brady, 43, will make $ 25 million next season. He had previously said his goal was to play until the age of 45, but Brady said during the week of the Super Bowl that he would now consider playing over 45. Brady turns 44 next season and tacking to his deal a year would keep him. under contract until his 45th birthday.
A new contract would not only provide more stability in the long term, but could also contribute to the Bucs’ salary cap. They will have less than $ 30 million in space, with a number of high profile players to be re-signed including Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin, inside linebacker Lavonte David, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette running back.
While there is uncertainty as to whether there will be an off-season schedule, Arians said he expects Brady will have recovered from his off-season knee procedure and be ready to practice fully in early summer. If there isn’t an off-season schedule this year, they could rely on Brady’s player-run training sessions, similar to what he led at Tampa’s Berkeley Prep last summer.
‘I think he’s probably looking [at] sometime around June, right now, as far as I hear, “Arians said.” His leadership – he doesn’t have to throw it anymore. He can stand there and coach them. Wherever they meet and train – I hope we have a low season for the younger players. Tom doesn’t need it, but for the younger players – first, second and third year players – we’ve missed two years of player development with where we are today. We don’t have to miss another. “
Licht also said he “expects” center Ryan Jensen and sent Donovan Smith back next season. Both are under contract, but neither owes any guaranteed money. Since Smith would be counting $ 14.25 million against the salary ceiling and Jensen $ 10 million this year, some had wondered if they would be the maximum. But the Bucs were delighted with their performance all along the way and into the late season.
“We love Ryan and Donovan,” said Light. “They played a critical role in our attack – in their protection, in the run game. We imagine Ryan and Donovan are both on this team. We expect them, not just for them.”