Tom Brady Rumors: QB 'Does Not Have Anything Close to a Deal' with Patriots

The NFL's free-agency negotiating window opens Monday, and the New England Patriots appear to be nowhere close to re-signing Tom Brady.  

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday night that Brady "does not have anything close to a deal in New England yet" and added the signs have been pointing toward his exit.

Jeff Darlington of ESPN reported at the NFL Scouting Combine that Brady was "operating under the belief" he'd hit the open market but that some thought a return to the Patriots remained on the table.

Brady's resume speaks for itself. He's a six-time Super Bowl champion, three-time MVP and 14-time Pro Bowler. This is also the first time he has truly hit free agency, having re-upped with New England whenever his contract was set to expire.

During an appearance on Get Up, ESPN's Dianna Russini reported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were among the teams willing to go above and beyond to sign Brady but that his market was looking somewhat lukewarm.

The Tennessee Titans removed themselves from the equation when they agreed to a four-year, $118 million deal with Ryan Tannehill, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

According to NBC Sports' Chris Simms, the San Francisco 49ers were also backing out of the race with the Buccaneers and Patriots to sign Brady.

As much as Brady has achieved, teams could have reasonable qualms about making a significant commitment to him heading into 2020.

He turns 43 in August, an age at which no quarterback has ever started a full season, per Pro Football Reference. He also started to show his first real signs of a decline in 2019. Here's how his numbers from the previous two seasons compare to one another:

• 2018: 4,355 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 65.8 percent completion rate, 97.7 passer rating
• 2019: 4,057 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 60.8 percent completion rate, 88.0 passer rating

The version of Brady a team is getting for next year could be an even more diminished version of the quarterback fans saw this past year. As an example of such a trajectory, Peyton Manning's production fell off a cliff between 2014—the last of his 14 Pro Bowl appearances—and 2015 before he retired.

Despite the apparent absence of a frenzied bidding war around the corner, the fact there has been so little traction between Brady and the Patriots would seemingly indicate he has a firm idea of his next move.