The obvious question when it comes to Tom Brady's impending free agency is whether he will return to the New England Patriots or decide to continue his career elsewhere.
The next question is, how much money will teams be willing to shell out for a 43-year-old quarterback?
With Brady set to officially hit free agency in just over a month, Phil Perry caught up with the NFL minds down at the Super Bowl to get an idea of where the rest of the NFL sees Brady’s game going forward and how much the Patriots should offer him.
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First, Perry asked longtime NFL agent Joel Curry what Brady could command on the open market.
He's in uncharted territory. Nobody has played quarterback at a high level at his age in the NFL, so he's kind of a let the buyer beware proposition because he's held off father time better than anybody in history ... If Drew Brees decides to play, that might be a good indication of what an older quarterback could get ... Maybe if you paid [Brady] 60 [million] over two [years] and you stretch it if you had to where you had voidable years like in the current Patriots deal.
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Steve Palozzolo of Pro Football Focus broke down whether he believes the Patriots can still build around Brady and whether it'd be a smart investment to make.
I think that's doable, and I think that really depends what the alternatives are. I mean, if they had a second-year [Jimmy] Garoppolo behind him that they're like 'hey, we've worked with this guy two years, we feel good about him' then it's an easier move for the Patriots. I think it's, where is the alternative? Can they find someone cheap in free agency? Are they going to move up spots in the draft to get one of the probably three first-round quarterbacks? I think it really depends on what the alternatives are ... Even at Brady's age, if you put the right guys around him, yeah I think he can still make that work.
For more thoughts on Brady's future, check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, which drops every Tuesday and Thursday as a part of the NBC Sports Boston podcast network.