Patriots quarterback Tom Brady all but confirmed his return to football next season with an Instagram post Wednesday morning.
In his post, Brady thanked fans by saying he is “grateful and humbled by the unconditional support” they’ve shown him over the past two decades. He acknowledged the Patriots organization for believing in him. And he indicated he’ll be back on the field soon, just days after the Pats’ season-ending, 20-13 loss to the Titans in the Wild Card round last weekend.
“In both life and football, failure is inevitable,” Brady wrote. “You don’t always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again. And that’s right where you’ll find me. Because I know I still have more to prove.”
Speculation over Brady’s football future has ramped up in recent weeks, as he is slated to become a free agent for the first time in his career come March. Brady agreed to a contract restructure last summer that served as a faux extension. It gave him a pay raise, prohibited the team from placing the franchise tag on him next season and tacked two years onto his current deal, all at the cost of the contract voiding on the final day of the 2019-2020 league year. Meaning, if Brady and the Pats fail to renegotiate prior to March 18 at 4 p.m., he will hit the open market and the Patriots are off the hook for the money promised on the two “void years” left on his deal.
Brady is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his 20-year, Hall of Fame career. He completed 60.8% of his passes for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the regular season. He threw for 207 yards and one interception during the Pats’ playoff loss to Tennessee.
Brady’s full post from Wednesday is below:
