Tom Brady Reacts To ‘Unique’ Contact Extension

After receiving a post-practice rendition of “Happy Birthday” by his Patriots teammates, Tom Brady stepped to the podium to address the two-year, $70 million contract extension with New England.

“We’ve just had a great history, and you know I love playing quarterback here,” the Patriots quarterback said. “I love this team, the organization, Mr. (Robert) Kraft, Jonathan (Kraft), Coach (Bill) Belichick, all the coaches, all the players.

“I mean, the focus is this year and what we’ve got to, so that’s where I’m focused. That’s all that really matters in the end, and that’s what this team expects from me — to put everything into it like I always have. I’m really excited for the year. This was good competition today.”

Brady’s extension reportedly will get him an additional $8 million raise this season, but it came with an important caveat regarding the next two years. Reportedly, the sides will need to renegotiate again before the 2020 campaign begins. In fact, the terms of the deal will make Brady a free agent after the 2019 league year concludes.

That means Brady, who turned 42 on Saturday, essentially will be on a series of one-year contracts for the remainder of his Patriots tenure. Though he’s said more than once that he wants to play until he’s 45, the surefire Hall of Famer acknowledged he’s entering “uncharted territory” and said he understands the benefits of this contract structure.

“I mean, it’s really the reality for most guys in the NFL,” Brady said. “I don’t want to think that I’m any different than everyone else. Football’s a tough business. It’s a production business. I’m ready to go this year, and that’s really what matters, and that’s where my focus is.

“It’s a unique situation I’m in. I’m in my 20th year with the same team, and (I’m) 42 years so, so pretty much uncharted territory for everybody. I’m going to go out there and do the best I can this year and see what happens.”

Asked if he would have preferred a contract with more security, Brady replied: “I’m really not worried about it.”

“I’m secure for this year — I think,” he joked. “At least I get a few first-team reps out there. So I’ll just go out there and do the best I can.”

“It is what it is,” he added. “That’s a good line. Whoever said it, it’s very pertinent. Like I said, there’s a lot of guys who have one year left on their contracts, so it’s a situation (where) I have one year to go, and we’ll see what happens.”

Belichick also commented Brady’s extension during his pre-practice news conference.

“On the Brady contract, you know it’s always good to come to an agreement with a player — any player — so that’s a good thing,” the coach said. “I’m not going to talk about the contract, so we’ll move on from that and focus on what we’re here for, which is a great opportunity to work against the Lions.”