The G.O.A.T. is getting a contract extension.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday that Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension that will take him through the 2022 season, per sources informed of the situation. Brady posted an image of him signing a contract, confirming the deal, and the team followed shortly thereafter by announcing the extension.
Brady, who turns 44 years old in August, has long discussed playing beyond age 45. The extension keeps him in Tampa through that eventuality.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht had been discussing a potential Brady extension ever since Tampa waltzed off its home field with the Lombardi Trophy in early February.
A new deal makes sense for both parties. TB12 has plenty left in the tank, has expressed zero desire to retire and enjoyed his first season under Bruce Arians in Tampa. The Bucs finally stabilized the QB position and wanted to keep their team leader and free-agent magnet in-house beyond the 2021 season.
Extending Brady comes with the added benefit of lowering the QB’s salary cap number this season. The signal-caller was set to count $28.375 million against the salary cap in 2021. The extension will likely significantly reduce that hit.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that Brady didn’t ask for a raise following the Super Bowl victory. The extension tacks on an additional year to his original two-year, $50 million contract. The Bucs added void years to the back end of the deal to further reduce the QB’s salary cap hit this season.
Brady’s new deal could go a long way in helping the Bucs retain free agents like high-priced pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett and tight end Rob Gronkowski or attract other veterans who want to chase a Super Bowl ring with the winningest QB of all time.