Contrary to Adam Schefter’s report about Tom Brady still not committing to playing in the 2018 season, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network have reported that the New England Patriots quarterback will indeed play in 2018.
“Tom Brady is going to play in 2018,” Rapoport explained per NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling. “He said it. Everyone close to him has said it. Everyone I've spoken to has said it. The Patriots are going forward with the very strict and stern belief that he will be playing for 2018. I don't get the sense that they considered any of these reports this morning about ‘maybe he doesn't play.'
The two have also reported that since Brady is playing, he is looking to do so on a new deal which he would like to sort out before the start of the season.
“It's not a pressing issue,” Garafolo said. “It's not anything that is contentious right now. But Brady would absolutely be interested in revisiting this contract.”
Brady still has two years left on his bargain contract worth an annual average salary of $14 million. The Patriots have historically looked to extend Brady when his contract has had two years left on his deal. Owner Robert Kraft recently indicated that there was no issue with his current deal and that they’d deal with it when one does come up.
Even if Brady does return for the upcoming season as Garafolo and Rapoport believe, the Patriots are still likely to take a look at finding his potential long-term successor in the upcoming draft. They have reportedly “expressed interest” in possibly moving up to take UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. They also brought in Kyle Lauletta and Luke Falk, as well as Mason Rudolph during pre-draft visits.
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