It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Tom Brady, but the Bucs quarterback took some time to speak to the media at head coach Bruce Arians Family Foundation gala in Tampa Bay on Sunday night. Brady offered an update on his knee, which is still recovering from offseason surgery, saying he hopes to participate in mandatory minicamp in June, if it occurs as scheduled.

“Yeah, I hope so. I feel pretty good and I push myself pretty hard,” Brady said “I don’t know if I could go this week, but, we’ll see how things play out. It’s a long time between now and the beginning of the season, and just be smart about all these different things that we have to do and fulfill. But we all take a lot of pride in being ready to go and I’m sure we will be…I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I did six or seven weeks ago.”

Shortly after the Bucs 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, Brady had surgery on his left knee, which Arians referred to as a “clean-up” procedure. The recovery has currently left Brady unable to hold the same workouts with his teammates that occurred last offseason following Brady’s signing in Tampa Bay, and it remains to be seen what this year’s practice sessions will look like.

“As soon as I’m ready to throw, that will be really important for me,” Brady said. “That’s always a big part of my preparation — actually doing what my job is.”

As the NFL schedule currently stands, there is mandatory minicamp scheduled for June. The Bucs players recently released a statement saying they will not be attending voluntary workouts while COVID remains a potential risk. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds doesn’t think missing the time to train together will impact the team’s 2021 outlook.