The New England Patriots now have quarterback Tom Brady under contract through the 2019 season.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots agreed to a two-year extension with Brady, who previously had two years left on the five-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2013. With an extra two years, the Patriots will have Brady in New England until he is at least 42 years old.
The extension will likely lower Brady’s cap hit in 2016, which was scheduled to be $15 million. He had no guaranteed money left on his deal, but that is also likely to change with an extra two years tacked on.
Brady, who turns 39 in August, threw for 4,770 yards and 36 touchdowns for the Patriots last season. While New England failed to defend its Super Bowl title, Brady showed no signs of regression.
Last October, Brady said he wanted to play another 10 years.
“I’d like to play a long time,” Brady said. “There’s a lot that goes into playing well. I’ve played with a lot of great teammates. But I want to play for a long time, maybe 10 more years. I think that’s probably what my goal is.”
No one truly expects Brady to play until the 2025 season. But another four years is reasonable, especially if his health cooperates. Over the last five seasons, he has averaged almost 4,700 passing yards with 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions per year.
A sixth-round pick in 2000, Brady has played 17 years with the Patriots. According to Schefter, if Brady plays out his four-year contract, he’ll become just the fourth player in NFL history to play 20 or more years with one team.
One loser of Brady’s extension might be backup Jimmy Garappolo, who is signed in New England through the 2017 season.
