Tom Brady Enters Potential Final Season As Super Bowl Favorite
By Ryan Rapoport August 26, 2019
How long will 42-year-old Tom Brady continue to play professional football remains a topic of much debate throughout NFL circles. The New England Patriots legend signed a two-year/$70 million contract extension, earlier this summer, locking him up through 2021, when he would be taking the field at the unheard of age of 44. But, the deal has provisions that allow the team to pull the plug if his play falls off.
It is likely that the sides will renegotiate if Brady decides to return for 2020 and beyond.
But, as the 2019 season approaches, Brady is trying to put the retirement issue to the side and focus on the task at hand: winning a seventh Super Bowl title. According to My Top Sportsbooks, as usual, Brady's Patriots are the current favorites to win Super Bowl 54.
The Patriots were very impressive in their first preseason contest, crushing the Detroit Lions 31-3. Brady did not play in the game, as is common for veterans in the first week of the preseason. But, it still signaled positive things for the aging QB.
This will be the first time since 2010 that Brady has suited up for an NFL season without tight end Rob Gronkowski on the field. The longtime Patriot retired in the offseason, leaving New England's receiving corps looking a little thin, besides that of Julian Edelman.
The Pats front office tried to address this issue in the offseason by drafting wide receiver N'Keal Harry and signing WR Demaryius Thomas, along with tight ends Austin Seferian-Jenkins (was later cut) and former longtime Patriot Ben Watson. They also signed undrafted rookie Jakobi Meyers, and both he and Harry looked more than comfortable in their first taste of NFL action against Detroit.
Meyers was an absolute beast, corralling six catches (eight targets) for 69 yards and two touchdowns, with Harry hauling in two catches (two targets) for 36 yards.
In the exhibition season's subsequent two games, Meyers has continued to impress, but Harry has been limited, due to a leg injury.
As Brady ages, his never-all-that-great athleticism is noticeably declining, meaning the supporting cast and infrastructure around him will have to remain strong in order for the Pats to maintain their dominance. Early indications are that, in Brady's next and potentially final crack at the title, the team around him will be just as good as the one that captured Super Bowl 53 against the Los Angeles Rams.
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