Report: Tampa Bay Buccaneers' QB Tom Brady to Undergo 'Minor' Knee Surgery

At age 43, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback Tom Brady did not miss a practice or a game due to injury during the 2020 NFL season as he led the Bucs to a Super Bowl championship.

But that doesn't mean Brady didn't have wear and tear on his body due to this past year. Brady will undergo a "minor surgical procedure" on his knee, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Bucs' head coach Bruce Arians described the surgery as "a cleanup," Stroud reported.

UPDATE: The knee injury was "not a recent injury" and instead something Brady had "been planning the procedure for months," according to ESPN's Jenna Laine, who confirmed that the surgery would be happening this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided more details reporting that the injury was suffered "during the season," and not during Wednesday's boat parade celebrating the team's victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Stroud also made it clear in a later report that the injury is, in fact, "football-related."

At the boat parade, Brady was seen wearing a sleeve on his left knee, according to photographs and various videos taken during the celebration.

#GoBucs QB Tom Brady will have a minor surgical procedure on his knee, one that coach Bruce Arians described as "a clean up."
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 11, 2021

Following Sunday's historic win, Brady was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl LV after completing 21-of-29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, two to tight end, and his former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski, and the third to wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Prior to the big game, Brady made it known that he "definitely" wants to play past the age of 45 years old.

"Yeah, definitely. I would definitely consider that," Brady said in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. "It's a physical sport, and just the perspective I have on that is you never know kind of when that moment is, just because it's a contact sport. There's a lot of training that goes into it, and again, it has to be 100 percent commitment from myself to keep doing it."

His opinion about playing next season did not change once Tampa Bay had secured the championship over the Chiefs.

Asked about his future with the Bucs after reaching the Promised Land at 43 years old, Brady responded: "We're coming back. You already know that."

While it's expected to be a "minor" procedure on his knee, it remains to be seen how long the recovery process will be for Brady, considering his age.