Tom Brady says he’s ‘excited to never put on a helmet again’

Patriots

As he prepares for his first NFL opening day as a minority owner, Tom Brady says his perspective has changed.

For the first time in more than two decades, Tom Brady will not throw passes in an NFL game on Week 1 of the new season.

He’s been kicking soccer balls with his daughter Vivian and throwing passes to his son Benjamin with some of his new found free time. Rob Gronkowski inspired Benjamin to play tight end, Brady said during an episode of the “Let’s Go!” podcast on Sirius XM.

Brady said he’s seeing football from a different perspective these days as he transitions into a TV broadcasting career with Fox and a minority ownership role with the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I used to watch it from the lens of a quarterback,” Brady said. “But now I see it more from maybe broadcasting but also as a fan and then also still from a quarterback. So maybe a few different perspectives to learn, which will be a fun thing.”

Brady will be in Foxborough on Sept. 10 for the Patriots home opener against the Eagles. The Patriots will honor Brady during the game, which is being billed as the “Thank You Tom” game.

The 15-time Pro Bowler spoke glowingly of his time with the Patriots, saying that he had two decades of incredible experiences. He also said he’ll be watching the Buccaneers this season and rooting for his former Tampa teammates.

“These are my brothers and football brings us all together,” Brady said. “There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears being out there in 100 degree heat in Miami, and it’s hard in Tampa when you’ve got helmets and shoulder pads on and I’m very excited to never put on a helmet again.

“I did enough of that,” Brady continued. “And putting that six pound helmet on your head in 100 degree heat, believe me, I’m not going to miss that.”

Brady said he’s looking forward to channeling the competitiveness that led him to seven Super Bowl victories into other aspects of his life now that he’s retired.

“Nothing is ever going to be like running out in front of 70,000 people screaming let’s (expletive) go,” Brady said. “That chapter is unbelievable and I’ve done it longer than anyone else, and I had so much fun. But, I think that can be redirected into other areas, not in the same way, but I think there’s still a part of me that wants to do really positive, great things.”