New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is going to have his work cut out for him entering his 20th NFL season. Here are 3 bold predictions.
Nineteen seasons in the NFL with six Super Bowl rings in nine big game appearances. What else is there for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to prove?
With almost every NFL record conquered and a few more to be reached, it appears motivation is still the main ingredient fueling the almost 42-year-old quarterback.
Entering his 20th season in the NFL, Brady may be in for one of the more challenging seasons of his career. He has certainly been there before, but his is a season he will be without star tight end Rob Gronkowski. He will also have a wide receiver group with some potential, but largely unproven in the Patriots offensive season.
As we’ve grown to trust over 19 seasons is that Tom Brady will find a way, somehow, to have the Patriots’ offense in position to produce come midseason and beyond.
Speaking with Willie McGinest following Saturday’s training camp session, Brady highlighted that challenge.
"“It’s always challenging when you have significant turnover,” Brady said, as transcribed by NESN. “I always say it’s like climbing a mountain. Every time you climb the mountain, the next year you start right at the bottom with everyone else and you have a new group of people – a new group of climbers. You have different tools you can use, and everyone starts at the same place.”"
For any of those climbers to reach their heights, it all starts with the chemistry and trust formed with Tom Brady. While all his haters are waiting for him to fall off that proverbial cliff, here are three bold predictions for the New England Patriots quarterback as he enters his 20th season in the NFL.
Brady will get his extension
The talk of training camp is and will be Tom Brady’s contract situation and it won’t go away until a deal is struck.
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While Brady has proved over and over again throughout the last few seasons that age is nothing but a number, the truth is it is a factor in his contract extension. If it was up to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the extension probably would be done.
But let’s face it, Bill Belichick runs the show and even the great Tom Brady has to prove he will be worth the investment and he will.
Coming off a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance which resulted in two victories, this is all about keeping the almost 42-year-old quarterback motivated.
With nothing else to prove to the NFL, Brady has to once again prove to his own team that he is worth multiple years and will be around a couple more seasons.
It may come down to the wire, but the New England Patriots and Tom Brady will strike a new two-year extension worth $60 million give or take.
Brady-to-Harry combination will grow
Rob Gronkowski is not walking through that door or at least on the field, so who will Tom Brady throw to besides the ever-reliable security blanket known as Julian Edelman?
Well, running back James White will likely pick up some of the slack, but eventually first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry will become the big target on the outside Brady will come to rely on.
List at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, the Arizona State product has both the skills and the athletic ability to flourish catching the ball from Brady, but whether he will make an impact immediately will be the burning question to start the season.
A lot of how quickly he becomes a factor will depend on how well he adjusts, but by midseason, the N’Keal Harry and Tom Brady connection will take off as the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback will start to trust his new, big target more and more into the season.
With that confidence, Harry will put up more than respectable numbers in his rookie season and by the end of the season, the New England Patriots will have quite the receiving duo in Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry.
Of course, Tom Brady’s individual numbers will benefit from that production.
Brady will be in the MVP conversation
Patrick Mahomes or Carson Wentz? Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees?
It seems whenever top quarterbacks in the NFL for 2019 are discusses, Tom Brady is rarely in the conversation.
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Now, it could be because the 41-year-old New England Patriots quarterback is typically always in the conversation, or many NFL experts fear he can fall off that cliff at any time.
While age and longevity can certainly have an impact on Brady plays in 2019, the one thing we know for sure is that he will stop playing when he feels he sucks. Right now, he feels good and doesn’t think he suck.
With that being said, Tom Brady will put up similar numbers as he did two seasons ago. That seems implausible without a big target like Rob Gronkowski, but that may actually benefit the Brady and the Patriots offense as he will spread the ball around more unless he simply becomes fascinated with first-round pick N’Keal Harry.
There is also a lot of question marks surrounding Brady’s weapons beyond Julian Edelman, Harry and running back James White in the passing game. But those have always been the situations where Tom Brady has shown his true value.
He will do so again in 2019. There may be struggles here or there, but the New England Patriots offense will be one of the NFL’s top offenses by mid-season.
At the age of 42, Brady will be in the MVP conversation which will drive Max Kellerman and Rob Parker absolutely mad.