FOXBORO, MA. — Tom Brady hasn't committed to playing the 2018 NFL season, according to a report.
The four-time Super Bowl MVP, who has yet to report to the Patriots' voluntary offseason training program, will turn 41 this summer before he theoretically begins his 19th year in the league.
ESPN's Adam Schefter cited two people who left open the possibility that Brady would not play this year, though both said they believed he would return to action.
The three-time league MVP is under contract through 2019. He's coming off his third MVP campaign after leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the eighth time after leading the NFL with 4,577 passing yards.
Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, has expressed concern in the past about her husband playing too long despite his previously stated goal of extending his career into his mid-forties.
The Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo, who seemed like Brady's heir apparent, last October. New England has the 23rd and 31st picks in the first round of next week's NFL draft. The team owns five of the top 95 selections, which could enable it to trade up the board if a player like UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen falls. However the last passer the franchise took in Round 1 was Drew Bledsoe in 1993. Coach Bill Belichick could target a player like Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph or Richmond's Kyle Lauletta in the second round, where Garoppolo was picked in 2014.
This calendar year hasn't been smooth sailing thus far for a team that's dominated the NFL in the 21st century. An ESPN report in January detailed tension between Brady, Belichick and owner Robert Kraft. A month later, New England lost Super Bowl LII to Philadelphia.
Now, there's uncertainty about Brady and star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who's also staying away from the voluntary portion of the offseason program and hasn't yet said definitively whether he'll continue playing.
Both Brady and Gronkowski recently offered supportive comments on social media to receiver Danny Amendola, who signed with the Dolphins after New England opted not to keep him.
