Brady Back for More

Tom Brady agreed to a contract extension with the New England Patriots yesterday that will tack on an additional three years and $27 million to his current contract, a four-year, $72 million deal that runs through 2014.

The extension ensures that Brady--aka the new Brett Favre--will remain with the Patriots beyond his 40th birthday, satisfying his desire to play for another five years (at least). While paying athletes millions of dollars in their late-30s/early-40s usually isn't the wisest way for a team to invest its resources, Brady has shown no signs of slowing down.  Last year the two-time MVP amassed 4,827 passing yards and 34 touchdowns while posting the lowest interception percentage in the league.

The 35 year-old is still one of the premier play-callers in the game, and that's not changing anytime soon. As long as New England surrounds him with weapons such as Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, there's no reason to think he can't remain effective as he puts the finishing touches on his Hall of Fame career.

The best part is that Brady, always a team player, graciously took a pay-cut that frees up $15 million in salary cap space over the next two years. The hometown discount provides New England some much-needed financial flexibility as it pursues key free agents such as Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Woodhead, and Aqib Talib.