ALLEN PARK, Michigan -- Bill Belichick isn't typically offering up the details on player contracts, but he did his best to get out in front of questions on Tom Brady's new deal Monday morning.
Before heading out to the first of this week's joint practices with the Lions, Belichick addressed reporters saying, "On the Brady contract, it's always good to come to an agreement with any player."
And that was about the extent of it. Belichick quickly moved on from the topic, saying he wouldn't comment further, and instead discussed at length how beneficial this week of work with Matt Patricia's team would be.
There are questions that linger about Brady's deal, though. He was given a two-year extension and an $8 million raise for 2019, but the extension years are for "placeholder salaries," as our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran explained Sunday. Brady isn't technically in a contract year, but for all intents and purposes, he is playing for his next deal.
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How complicated does Brady's age make contract negotiations? How uncomfortable were the Patriots in guaranteeing Brady an upper-tier quarterback salary beyond this season? Would the Patriots have been staring at a week of work in Michigan without their quarterback had a deal not been hammered out?
Those will continue to dangle, but Belichick did say he's been impressed by his 42-year-old quarterback's longevity and how he's maintained his level of play.
"Tom's been very consistent throughout the course of his career," Belichick said. "Feel like we're off to a good start in training camp. We all have a long way to go. But Tom's worked hard. He's put in a lot of time, a lot of work, as he always does. He's very well prepared. We're looking forward at building for this season and getting better on a daily basis."
Brady will continue that process here, against his former defensive coordinator, and with a raise for this season. But how much longer he continues to put in the time and work for the Patriots remains to be seen since his new deal guarantees little, if anything, beyond this season.
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