Tom Brady is not worried about his contract heading into the 2019 season — the greatest quarterback of all time knows that he is entering uncharted territory, and both he and the New England Patriots are treating the situation as such. The two-year, $70 million extension that was agreed on over the weekend is further proof of that as it is essentially a reworked deal that allows the team to save some money on its cap hit this year.
In return, the contract is structured in a way that sets Brady up to hit free agency after the season: not only will the two extension years void after the last day of the 2019 league year, the contract also includes a stipulation that does not allow the Patriots to use the franchise or transition tag on the 42-year-old in 2020 (according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).