What Do Tom Brady and Drew Brees Have Left in the Tank?
The NFC South can’t ward its quarterback fanfare. Two of the four quarterbacks have Most Valuable Player trophies on their mantles.
Two have won Super Bowls. Three spots on the NFL’s top 10 all-time passing yards list are quarterbacks playing in the division.
Falcons fans know about Matt Ryan. Age hasn’t entered the picture for Ryan just yet. He sits at a rather youthful 35-years-old.
The expectation is that Ryan will be the quarterback for the near future. His contract has him signed on through his 38-years-old season in 2023.
What about the Ryan’s nemesis Drew Brees? How much does he have left? Brees is 41-years-old. Retirement hasn’t gone unmentioned to Brees.
He has already made plans to join NBC Sports following his playing days. Brees signed a two-year contract extension this offseason to remain with the New Orleans Saints.
Who knows if he’ll finish both years?
The same can be asked of the splashiest signing of the 2020 offseason. Tom Brady joined the Tampa Buccaneers at 42-years-old.
Brady will be in Tampa Bay for more than a season. He signed on for two years.
The determination of how much is in the tank for both Brady and Brees won’t be their deteriorating skills. Both players can still play the game at a high level.
Brees graded out on Pro Football Focus at 91.2 last season. Brady only received an 80.4 in 2019.
Both are considered above average starters based off those rankings. Brady was seventh in the NFL in passing yards last season.
Brady’s rating could be a little deceiving. He was mired in an offense that lacked explosive playmakers with the highest graded player at the wide receiver position being Julian Edelman.
Edelman only earned a 72.0 grade for the 2020 season after 100 receptions on 147 targets. Brady’s numbers will go up in 2020 based off who he’s targeting.
The Buccaneers have two wide receivers graded at least 13 points higher. Mike Evans scored an 85.7 last season.
Chris Godwin was graded at 90.7. Tight end Rob Gronkowski returns from a year of retirement to give Brady yet another big target.
We’ll truly see what Brady has left in 2020 and how much the New England Patriots’ system shielded him.
Brady has never really had a problem staying up right. He’s only suffered one major injury in his career.
He missed 15 games in 2008 season with a torn ACL. Mobility hasn’t been a must for Brady in his career. He has always been a quick deliverer of the football.
Brady has only been sacked more than 40 times in a season twice. It shouldn’t be much of an issue in 2020 with the Buccaneers only strengthening an offensive line that was ranked seventh by PFF in 2019.
The Buccaneers added one of the top draft-eligible offensive tackles in Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.
Coupled the offensive line keeping Brady healthy and standing in the pocket, it’s likely Brady will be Brady in the 2020 season once he gets on the same page with his teammates.
Brees will likely be the same in 2020. His offensive line ranked ahead of the Buccaneers in 2019. The Saints protection unit was ranked fifth by PFF.
They return four starters in 2020. The only new piece up front is first round selection Cesar Ruiz sliding in at guard.
Brees will still have the NFL’s leader in catches and three-time Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara.
The Saints also added veteran Emmanuel Sanders to boost Brees’ weaponry.
It appears both players have the tools to be successful. The question remains how badly they want to continue. What’s driving both of them? It’s likely championship rings. If either team begins to deteriorate around them it conceivable that both could walk into retirement.
Health will be a factor as well. Brees missed five games last season after only missing only two games since joining the Saints in 2006. Brady hasn’t missed a game since 2016.
If both are protected and insulated by their enormous skill talent, they’ll be themselves for at least one more season.
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