TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady is recovering from offseason knee surgery and expects to be ready for June minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Speaking at a fundraiser for Bucs coach Bruce Arians’ foundation, the 43-year-old quarterback joked that he didn’t know “if I can go this week.” He then added he is aiming to be back on the field relatively soon for the Super Bowl champions.
“I feel pretty good and I push myself pretty hard. ... We we will see how things play out,” he said. “It is a long time between now and the beginning of the season. Just be smart about all these different things we have to do and fulfill. We all take a lot of pride in being ready to go and I am sure we will be.”
ESPN first reported Brady’s comments at Sunday night’s event.
“It’s good progress,” Brady said. “It’s rehab. None of that is fun, but looking forward to getting back to real training and stuff, which is hopefully here pretty soon.
“I’m cool with it. It’s just part of what you deal with. Things come up. You deal with them the best way you can, with the best opportunity to improve. I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I did six or seven weeks ago.”
Bucs players, along with those from more than half the league’s teams, have said they will not attend voluntary offseason workouts, which could begin Monday. Minicamps are mandatory for players fit to participate.
Brady signed with Tampa Bay in free agency in March 2020 after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.
When offseason conditioning programs were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic last spring, Brady and several new teammates gathered for informal workouts in preparation for his first training camp with the Bucs.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion is looking forward to getting back to work as soon as possible. Arians has said the quarterback’s recovery is progressing well and there’s a chance Brady could be ready to participate in minicamp if the Bucs have one.
“We’ve got a lot of hard-working guys. Guys will be very anxious to get together and get to work,” Brady said.
“As soon as I’m ready to go out and throw, that’ll be really important for me. That’s always been a part of my preparation, actually doing what my job is,” he added. “I try to teach the younger players it doesn’t matter going in and doing pullups, doing cross-fit games and scaling walls. What matters is being a good football player. And that’s doing your job and whatever that entails for you.”
Brady threw for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first year with the Bucs, who finished on an eight-game winning streak that included three straight playoff road wins and a victory in the Super Bowl, which was played in the team’s home stadium.
He threw for 1,061 yards, 10 TDs and three interceptions during the postseason run.
