Tom Brady is doing his best to keep his mindset in the now.
Addressing ongoing speculation about his future in New England, the Patriots quarterback said his focus is on the back nine of the season, not his prolific 20-year career.
“Again, I said last week, nothing has changed with my status of my team and my standing,” Brady told Westwood One’s Jim Gray on Monday. “I’ve really been focused on my job. A lot of the hype, a lot of the media speculation is just that. It’s probably that time of year where you don’t need to focus so much on the wins and losses.”
He continued, “You start focusing on a lot of other things. The media has a right to do that. I certainly don’t. I’m focused on what I need to do this year. We’re off to a good start. I want to capitalize here in the second half of the year. That’s where I am personally.”
Though Brady said he is “not thinking about many things beyond this week,” when the Patriots face the Ravens on Sunday in primetime, he and wife Gisele Bündchen appeared to put future plans into motion over the summer, when the couple listed their Boston-area mansion.
“There are some family things I’m thinking about with the holidays coming up,” Brady said, insisting, “Outside of that, I’m thinking about football and how I can be the best for the New England Patriots.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously stated he believes this season could be Brady’s swan song, connecting several dots along the way.
“Has he set up his contract to void after this season to become a free agent? Yes. So if he’s selling his home and his trainer is selling his home and he’s voiding his contract? What does that tell you? He’s setting up to move on,” Schefter said.
While Brady has expressed that he hopes to play until he’s 45, it seems the Patriots’ brain trust could be keeping their cards close to the vest in terms of the future.
“Never underestimate Robert Kraft,” an insider told Schefter of the team’s owner.