Lack of New Contract for Tom Brady Could Suggest 2019 Will Be His Final NFL Season

We might be entering the twilight of the Tom Brady era in the NFL despite thinking we've been there for quite a while now.

The soon-to-be 42-year-old Patriots quarterback is heading into the 2019 campaign without a new contract, something that could indicate this season may very well be his last.

He's entering the final season of a two-year, $30 million deal, and just as there's not much of a precedent for a quarterback playing at the age of 43 as he will be after free agency next year, so to is there little precedent of teams giving out contracts to such aged signal callers.

It's not entirely unreasonable to think that this could be the end of the line for him. 2019 will be his 20th season in the NFL, and he's pretty much done everything there is to do. He's played in nine Super Bowls, won six of them and taken home MVP honors three times all while throwing for 70,514 yards and 517 touchdowns.

But there's more to it than that. One of Brady's favorite targets, Rob Grownkowski, retired in the offseason. Without him on the field, executing in the red zone is going to be substantially more difficult than in years past.

Though Brady has maintained that he plans to play as long as possible, there's no denying that it felt as though he was just a tick slower than his normal self last year.

In an interview with NESN, former NFL fullback Michael Robinson said "he started seeing some ghosts in the pocket for the first time I’ve seen in a while," in referencing Brady's play. Perhaps he recognizes that despite his iron will, he shouldn't push himself too far.

His contract situation will remain a storyline as the season progresses, and if he doesn't get a new one, don't be surprised if it's because he's ready to call it a career after this year or will at least want to mull it over in the offseason.