Tom Brady Knee Injury Was 'Nagging Nuisance' All Last Season, Bucs QB Coach Believes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a Super Bowl last season all while Tom Brady was dealing with a knee issue most of the year, according to one member of the coaching staff. 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen said Brady's knee was a "nagging nuisance" during the 2020 season. 

"I don't think he was 100 percent last year," Christensen added. "His quote, or close to a quote was, 'Hey, I'm gonna get my knee fixed up and I'm gonna be better next year and you're gonna be excited about that.'"

Brady revealed in March on The Late Late Show with James Corden (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) that he underwent knee surgery after the Super Bowl.

"I actually had knee surgery, so I'm kind of rehabbing now, which is giving me something to do, although I'd much rather be kind of staying active like I normally do," Brady said. 

One source told Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that Brady's surgery was "more than just a little clean-up."

Brady posted a video on Instagram earlier this week which showed him running around and throwing a football without using a knee brace:

Head coach Bruce Arians told reporters at the start of organized team activities on Tuesday that he didn't know how much,  if anything, Brady would be doing on the field. 

"I don't know how much I'll let him do ... with guys chasing him around," Arians said. "We'll see. We'll see what the doctors say. He may be doing a lot of coaching."

There was no indication in Brady's performance last season that he was seriously injured. The 43-year-old threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns with a 65.7 completion percentage during the regular season. 

Brady added another 1,061 passing yards and 10 touchdowns in Tampa's four playoff wins. He was named MVP of Super Bowl LV after throwing for 201 yards and three scores without an interception in a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.