Jason Licht, general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said he would be “euphoric” like coach Bruce Arians if they can close a deal that keeps Tom Brady on the team beyond the two-year contract with the quarterback, who will finish after the 2021 season.
Licht said in “The Rich Eisen Show” agreeing a contract extension for Brady is a possibility, but he declined to discuss the specific points of his talks with Brady’s agent Don Yee when asked about the issue at the pre-combination Bucs video conference. and free agency.
“Bruce and I have a great relationship with Tom and I have a good relationship with his agent,” Licht stressed. “Tom played incredibly well this year, as did the whole team. We’d love for Tom to play here, and I can speak for Bruce, for as long as he wants to srguir playing. If that happens, we’d be euphoric, but I’d like to. keep these conversations private for now “.
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 leading up to the Super Bowl he indicated he would like to play for longer. Adding one more year to his two-season contract with the Bucs would keep him with the team until he was 45 years old.
A new contract would not only ensure longer-term stability in the quarterback position, it would also help the Buccaneers in their position at the salary cap. They have less than $ 30 million in space, with several high-profile agents needing to be rehired, including receiver Chris Gowdin, internal linebacker Lavonte David, external linebacker Shaquil Barrett, closed-wing Rob Gronkowski, receiver Antonio Brown and runner Leonard Fournette.
Faced with uncertainty over whether there will be a program of activities in the offseason, Arians said he anticipates Brady will recover from the knee surgery he underwent after the Super Bowl and be ready to train early in the season. summer. If there is no program of activities, the team could rely on Brady’s organized workouts, similar to the one he led last summer at Tampa’s Berkeley Prep.
“(Brady) will probably start training around June,” Arians said. “Because of his leadership, he doesn’t have to be pitching, he can be there and coach (his teammates). Wherever they get together and work, I hope to have seasonal recess jobs with younger players. Tom doesn’t need it. , but first, second and third year young people yes, (because) we have lost two years of development to the point where we are now. We don’t need to lose another. “
Licht also said he “expects” center Ryan Jensen and left tackle Donovan Smith to be back next season. Both are under contract, but neither has money guaranteed. With Smith scheduled to count $ 14,500,000 in the 2021 salary cap and Jensen for $ 10 million, it has been speculated whether they will be down to find space in the salary cap, but the Bucs were excited about 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 ground play,” Licht noted. “We see Ryan and Donovan on this team. We look forward to them, we don’t just see them.”