Patriots owner Robert Kraft insisted there are no issues regarding Tom Brady's contract despite there being only two years remaining on the deal - the time New England has usually opted to extend its star player during his 18-year career.
Kraft pointed to the fact that having a 40-year-old signal-caller who's still performing at an MVP level puts the Patriots in a near-unprecedented position, but not one that either party has a problem with.
"He'll be 41 when the season starts," Kraft told Jeff Howe of The Athletic. "Neither side has an issue with it. If it becomes an issue, we'll deal with it."
Related: Kraft says he met with Brady, Belichick amid reports of discord
Brady is set to earn just $15 million in 2018 thanks to the discount deal he signed back in 2016 and carries a manageable $22-million cap hit, so an extension isn't required if both the Patriots and Brady are comfortable essentially going year to year at this stage of his career in a similar way to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
While Kraft said last month the Patriots "obviously" must consider drafting a QB, the 76-year-old owner wants Brady to continue playing as long as he feels capable of leading the team.
"Me personally, I'd like to see him play as long as he can," said Kraft. "I don't think anyone would have believed 10 years ago that he would have played this year, gone to the Super Bowl, and been MVP of the league at 40 years old. It's just unbelievable.
"It speaks to the way he takes care of himself, the way he trains, how much film he watches - one of the hardest-working guys. He is driven to excel. I think as long as he feels he is like that, he'll keep playing. We're so lucky to have him in our system."
