Tom Brady says he’s ‘open-minded’ about free-agency process

As of this moment, when NFL free agency officially begins in March, Tom Brady will be available for the first time in his 20-year career.

While it seems impossible that the New England Patriots legend would ever play elsewhere, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was loathe to give any indication Brady would be back with the team when he met with media the day after the team’s wild-card round game earlier this month.

On Sunday, Westwood One, which handled the radio broadcast of the AFC Championship game, aired an interview with Jim Gray and Brady. For Patriots fans desperately trying to read the tea leaves, it wasn’t a comforting answer.

“I’m open-minded about the process,” Brady said, via NESN.com. “At the same time, I love playing football and I want to continue to play and do a great job. So I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Brady and his family have built a life in the Boston area, with his children Benjamin and Vivian attending an independent school there. But he and wife Gisele Bündchen also put their custom-built home in Brookline on the market in August (the asking price has been dropped to $33.9 million, for those of you that have it like that), which has led to all kinds of speculation about his future.

As Brady and the rest of us wait to see where he plays in 2020 — the 42-year-old has repeatedly said he wants to play until he’s 45 — he’s spending the weekend like every other NFL fan.

“Whatever the future may bring, I’ll embrace it with open arms. In the meantime, I’m going to watch these two games today as a fan and enjoy them from my couch,” he said.

Brady was in Las Vegas on Saturday night for UFC 246, where he was seen chatting with Mark Davis, owner of the Raiders, who are moving to Vegas in the coming months.

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