Last week, a rumor started to surface that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was not yet committed to playing in 2018 – a rumor we called “little more than speculation” when first writing about it. After all, each and every sign was pointing to the contrary and that Brady would return as New England's starting quarterback for the upcoming season despite turning 41 and staying away from voluntary offseason workouts so far.
The latest to weigh in on the rumors surrounding the NFL's best quarterback is his very own agent, Don Yee. Speaking to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who wrote the original previous report on the future Hall of Famer's non-committal towards the future, Yee pretty much put all speculation about his client's outlook to a definitive rest: “Tom’s intentions have not changed,” Yee told Schefter earlier today.
“He’s consistently said he’ll play beyond this contract and into his mid 40s, or until he feels he isn’t playing at a championship level,” the agent who also represents the San Francisco 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo – a former Patriots backup that turned into the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL – continued. If last season is any indication, Brady is still playing at a championship level. “I understand the constant speculation, but this is one point he’s been firm about.”
Yee also spoke about how Brady is conducting his offseason away from New England's voluntary workouts so far. “He customizes his preparation to each season in order to maximize his performance,” Yee said. “His training methods are always evolving and getting better. The year he missed the first four games – that month of training on his own was particularly efficient.”
Furthermore, Brady's agent talked about the quarterback's feelings regarding his contract. As was expected, though, the answer was a pretty standard one: “His objective every year is to outperform his contract and his own goals. And like every player, yes, he thinks about his contract – it’s a pretty natural thing to do. Every team’s management knows this.” Still, Yee said all he needed to say to hopefully end all rumors about Brady opting to end his legendary career before entering his 19th season in the NFL.