Jason Licht, general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said he would be “excited,” as would coach Bruce Arians, if he could reach an agreement that will keep Tom Brady on the team beyond his two-year contract with the defender. which will end after the 2021 season.
Licht said The Rich Eisen Show accepting the contract extension for Brady is a possibility, but he declined to discuss the specifics of his conversations with Don Yee, Brady’s agent, when asked about the issue at Bucs’ free pre-combination video conference.
“Bruce and I have a great relationship with Tom and we have a good relationship with his agent,” Licht said. “Tom played incredibly well this year, as did the whole team. We’d love to play Tom here and I can talk to Bruce as long as he wants to keep playing. If that happens, we would be ecstatic, but I would like to keep those conversations private for the time being. “
Brady, 43, is scheduled to earn $ 25 million next season. He previously said his goal was to play until he was 45, but in the week before the Super Bowl he indicated he would like to play more. Adding another year to his two-year contract with the Bucs would keep him on the team until the age of 45.
A new contract will not only ensure longer-term stability in the position of defender, but would also help the buccaneers in their position as head. They have less than $ 30 million in space, and several agents need to be recruited, including receiver Chris Gowdin, inside defender Lavonte David, outside defender Shaquil Barrett, tight end Rob Gronkowski, catcher Antonio Brown and retirement. Leonard Fournette.
Faced with uncertainty over whether there will be an off-season schedule, Arians said he anticipates Brady will recover from post-Super Bowl knee surgery and be ready to train in early summer. If there is no program of activities, the team could rely on Brady’s organized training, similar to what he led last summer at Tampa’s Berkeley Prep.
“He (Brady) will probably start training around June,” Arians said. “Due to his leadership, he does not have to play, he can be there and train (his colleagues). Wherever they meet and work, I look forward to having off-season jobs with younger players. Tom doesn’t need him, but freshmen, seniors and juniors do, because we’ve lost two years of development so far. We don’t need to lose another one. “
Licht also said he “hopes” Ryan Jensen’s center and left-back Donovan Smith return next season. Both are under contract, but neither has money guaranteed. With Smith expected to be $ 14.5 million by the 2021 salary cap and Jensen at $ 10 million, there has been speculation that they will be lowered to find a place in the ceiling, but the Bucs have been excited. their performance at the end of the regular season and in the Playoffs.
“We love Ryan and Donovan. They played a vital role in our offense, in protection and in the running game “, said Licht. “We see Ryan and Donovan in this team. We are waiting for you, we don’t just see you “.