Buccaneers' Tom Brady: 'Reconstructed' knee has 'been really good'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady surprised many in the football world when he confirmed in March 2021 that he required surgery on his left knee shortly after he earned his seventh career Super Bowl ring to repair what was later referred to as a fully torn MCL. The 44-year-old suffered the initial injury during the 2019 season while with the New England Patriots, and he spoke on Wednesday about experiencing a "different" offseason that didn't include nursing a bum knee this time around. 

"Last year was pretty tough, just from basically having the MCL reconstruction, and I basically tore it in my last season in New England and I went the whole offseason with a torn MCL," Brady explained, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I didn’t get a reconstruction, because I thought it would just heal back. So I didn’t do anything. The following year, I just taped it, basically, every day. And then finally getting it reconstructed last year, it felt for the first time this offseason, it’s been really good." 

Brady proved to be a Most Valuable Player candidate coming off last year's procedure. According to ESPN stats, the ageless G.O.A.T. finished the 2021 regular season leading the NFL with 485 completions, 719 attempts, 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns through the air. As long as the knee continues to feel "really good" at worst, Brady may ultimately consider playing beyond the 2022 campaign following his short-lived retirement this past winter. 

Regardless of Brady's intentions for 2023, Buccaneers teammates such as Shaquil Barrett and Devin White are happily embracing a "championship or bust" mentality this spring.