Most discussion of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s career arc this offseason has focused on whether the team’s decision to draft Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round is a signal that we’re nearing the end of the line for the three-time Super Bowl champ.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels isn’t contemplating the day that No. 12 walks off into the sunset, however. McDaniels isn’t even thinking about Brady, who will turn 37 in August, being on the back side of his career. McDaniels thinks that Brady is still improving as a quarterback as he prepares for his 15th season.
“Yup, I do,” McDaniels said, via MassLive.com. “It’s hard for me to ever feel like that wouldn’t be the case. Anytime you’ve got a guy that’s really focused on working on all of the weaknesses in his game when there really aren’t that many, you can see where they’d be room for growth.”
Excepting the portion of one game he played in 2008, Brady had his lowest completion percentage and quarterback rating since 2003 last season so there are definitely areas where he can perform better than last season. A stronger cast of receiving targets might be a likelier path to that performance that Brady finding untapped abilities at this point in his career, but even a repeat of last year’s offensive output would likely put the Patriots on the path for another playoff trip.