Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said on Wednesday that he and coach Bruce Arians would be “thrilled” if they were able to strike a deal with defender Tom Brady to keep him in Tampa beyond his two-year contract, which will end after the 2021 season.
Licht said Tuesday at “The Rich Eisen Show“that signing Brady for an extension is a possibility, but he declined to discuss the details of any conversations with Brady’s agent, Don Yee, when asked on Wednesday during the Bucs combination and the free Zoom agency conference.
“Bruce and I have a great relationship with Tom, and I have a good relationship with his agent,” said Licht. “We think Tom played incredibly well this year, together with the whole team. We would love to have Tom playing here – I can speak for Bruce – I think, as long as he continues to want to play. If that happens at any point, we would be elated. I would like to keep these conversations private now. “
Brady, 43, is expected to earn $ 25 million next season. He had previously said his goal was to play until he was 45, but Brady said during Super Bowl week that he would now consider playing beyond 45. Brady will be 44 next season, and closing a year for his contract would keep him under contract until your 45th birthday.
A new contract would not only guarantee more long-term stability in the job, but would also help with the Bucs’ salary cap situation. They will have less than $ 30 million in space, with a number of high profile players who need to be rehired, including Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin, internal linebacker Lavonte David, external linebacker Shaq Barrett, tight end Rob Gronkowski , wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Leonard Fournette.
Although there are uncertainties about whether there will be an off-season program, Arians said he anticipates that Brady will be recovered from his knee procedure out of season and ready to fully train in early summer. If there is no off-season program this year, they can rely on training organized by Brady players, similar to the one he led at Tampa’s Berkeley Prep last summer.
“I think he’s probably looking [at] somewhere around June, now, from what I heard, “said Arians.” Your leadership – he doesn’t have to be out there playing anymore. He can be standing there and training them. Wherever they meet and exercise – I hope we have an off-season for younger players. Tom doesn’t need that, but for the younger players – first, second and third year players – we lost two years of player development where we are now. We don’t need to lose one more. “
Licht also said he “expects” center forward Ryan Jensen and left Donovan Smith next season. Both are under contract, but neither is guaranteed money. With Smith set to count $ 14.25 million against the salary cap this year and Jensen $ 10 million, some questioned whether they would fall victim to the ceiling. But the Bucs were thrilled with their performances in the final stretch and in the postseason.
“We love Ryan and Donovan,” said Licht. “They played a key role in our attack – in protecting them, in the racing game. We imagine Ryan and Donovan in this team. We expect them, we don’t just imagine them.”