Tom Brady has expressed his desire to play for the New England Patriots in 2019 and beyond.
It appears the feeling is mutual.
Patriots president Jonathan Kraft joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand" show Thursday to announce the radio station's multiyear broadcast extension with the Patriots. That inevitably led to a follow-up question about Brady's contract as the 41-year-old wraps up his 19th NFL season.
"I'm only hesitating because there aren't any adjectives to describe how exceptional he is," Kraft responded after a pause. "Anybody who doubts that doesn't understand things.
"Tom is under contract for next year, and I think hopefully people have seen that there's a real understanding between all of us about how that situation is going to work into the future."
Brady technically will be a free agent after the 2019 season. But the understanding seems to be that New England will try to keep him around until he retires, whether that's in 2020 or beyond.
"Tom, we're so lucky to have him as the quarterback and the leader of our football team," Kraft added. " ... You wouldn't want anybody else quarterbacking your football team."
New England Patriots
Kraft is saying all the right things, but the Patriots still have some decisions to make at the quarterback position. With no backup other than Brian Hoyer, should the Pats pursue their quarterback of the future in the 2019 NFL Draft or try to trade for more QB depth? And Brady has said he wants to play until age 45, but will that mindset change if New England stumbles in the playoffs?
Only time will tell, but Kraft sounds confident we'll see Brady in a No. 12 Patriots uniform next season.
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