Tom Brady is a near-lock for the Hall of Fame someday and when he retires it will likely be as the New England Patriots quarterback after signing a new three-year extension with the team.
According to ESPNBoston.com, sources said to writer Mike Reiss that Brady has signed a new three-year, $27 million contract extension with the team that will keep him with the franchise until the 2017 season. The report says that Brady will receive a $3 million signing bonus with yearly salaries being paid at $7 million in 2015, $8 million in 2016 and $9 million in 2017, at which point Brady will be 40-years-old.
Brady has been adamant that he wants to finish his career with the Patriots and also that he would like to play for a number of more years, at least until he is 40. Although other quarterbacks have signed much bigger deals in recent years, Brady has made enough money throughout his career that he doesn't get bogged down by the idea of being the highest-paid quarterback in the league.
Brady has led the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships in 2011, 2003 and 2004 and also has won two MVP awards. The team last made the Super Bowl after the 2011 season against the Giants and according to the report, Brady and the team started working on the extension a month ago.
The main reason for the extension was to give the Patriots some cap relief for next season. The new deal gives the team $8 million in salary-cap space this year and $7 million in cap room next season after Brady's cap number was originally supposed to be $21.8 million over the next two seasons.
The report says that Brady felt comfortable giving the team cap flexibility since so much trust exists between the two sides after so many years with the franchise. The team has a number of free agents this offseason, including wideout Wes Welker, cornerback Aqib Talib and running back Danny Woodhead.
Brady has been a staple with the Patriots since taking over for Drew Bledsoe years ago and has only missed time after hurting his knee a few years ago that wiped out his entire season. Brady has set a number of NFL and team records during his career, including in 2007 when he threw for 50 touchdowns and led the Patriots to an 18-0 record before losing to the underdog New York Giants and Eli Manning in the Super Bowl.
Last season Brady led the Patriots to a 12-4 record and the AFC East division title after throwing for 4,827 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading the team to 557 points, the most in the NFL.
