When you are entering your 23rd season in a sport, things look a little different for you as opposed to everyone else. Or at least that seems to be the case with Bucs quarterback Tom Brady. And if we are honest with ourselves, that’s the way it should be. Brady, who is now 45 (that’s twice the age of some of his teammates!), has earned a slightly different routine from the average player.

And according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, that slightly different routine will include a regularly scheduled day off throughout the NFL season. Rapoport cites sources who have told him that Brady is set to receive every Wednesday off throughout the season in an effort to keep him well-rested. The hope is that this will allow Brady to better manage the wear and tear of a 17-game season on his body. That schedule began this week, with Brady taking Wednesday’s practice off for non-injury related reasons.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While the scheduling of these off days is technically new for the 2022 season, the concept is hardly new for Brady or the Bucs. Last year, Brady regularly took off Thursdays throughout most of the season. And he was hardly the only one. Left tackle Donovan Smith, center Ryan Jensen, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and others were all afforded “veteran days” off in an effort to maintain a healthy load management for veteran players.

In the last three years, the Bucs have fielded rosters littered with players over the age of 30. And for those players, especially key starters, they have made an emphasis on load management. It is a smart way of reducing injury and fatigue throughout a season that last year expanded by over 6%.

The formalization of this process with the league’s oldest player shouldn’t really be alarming. If anything, Brady now knows exactly which days he can schedule appointments. That’s something most of us can relate to. No more looking through the calendar trying to find the exact right day/time to get that six-month checkup with the dentist in. Now, he can easily say, “When’s the next Wednesday availability you have open?”

New Routine With Bucs Is Different, But Brady Remains Brady

Some may point to this as a continuation of Brady’s extended time off during training camp for “personal reasons” as evidence he may not be “all-in” this season, plagued by distractions outside the gridiron. But that narrative just does not jive with what Brady has put on tape so far.

In his lone series of the preseason, Brady led a sharp offensive attack against the Colts down the field for a score. Then, in Dallas last Sunday, Brady routinely connected with his offensive weapons as the Bucs offense moved the ball well against the Cowboys. He overcame sporadic pass blocking issues to deftly navigate the pocket while going 18-of-27 for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Bucs’ signal-caller completed 66.7% of his passes while averaging just under eight yards per attempt. Brady looked as Brady-like as ever.

Seasons change and so do people’s lives and priorities. Brady has spoken at length about how his priorities in his 40s are different than when they were in his 20s and 30s. He has also talked about how his body requires different things these days than it did 20, 15 or even 10 years ago. Those needs are going to drive a different workload management than he historically has used. It will also be different from how others train and practice. But if the early results are any indication, it has not changed his on-field performance. If anything, Brady looks to be getting stronger than ever before.