Tom Brady will be playing for the New England Patriots in 2018, his agent assured ESPN on Monday, lifting doubts that the star quarterback wouldn’t be coming back after rumors of a feud with coach Bill Belichick, and the usual retirement talk.
The rumors started last week when multiple unnamed sources claimed they didn’t know if he would come back, ESPN said, with one saying there was a 75 percent chance of him playing again.
Don Yee, the quarterback's agent, though, rejected any suggestion that Brady wouldn’t be playing.
"Tom's intentions have not changed," Yee told ESPN. "He's consistently said he'll play beyond this contract and into his mid-40s, or until he feels he isn't playing at a championship level. I understand the constant speculation, but this is one point he's been firm about."
Brady, who turns 41 in August and has won five Super Bowl titles, passed for 4,577 yards last year, the fourth highest total in his 18-year NFL career, per NFL.com. His quarterback passer rating of 102.8 was fifth highest in his career. He won his third NFL most valuable player award last season as well, per WBZ-TV.
"(Brady's) objective every year is to outperform his contract and his own goals," Yee told ESPN. "And like every player, yes, he thinks about his contract – it's a pretty natural thing to do. Every team's management knows this."
In January, ESPN reported that a rift between Brady, Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft threatened send one or all three on their separate ways, partly stemming from Belichick's drafting of Jimmy Garoppolo as an insurance policy at quarterback and the coach's intense practice style.
Then NBC Sports reported this month that Brady was leading a revolt against Belichick, sparked by the departure of some players though free agency.
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