Tom Brady will take rest days EVERY Wednesday during the 2022 season for the 1st time in his career

With his 23rd season underway, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady showed in Week 1 against the Cowboys that he still has the ability to perform at a high level.

But his desire to continue doing that will require special measures and attention he never gave himself before.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport says Brady will be taking it a little easier this season, with the three-time MVP set to take every Wednesday off as a veteran day for personal and recovery reasons.

Brady had taken this past Wednesday off, with the Bucs listing it as a rest day.

Veteran days are relatively common among the the NFL’s older elite talents, but Brady especially may need to use those days.

The 45-year old mentioned on his ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast that the hits in the Cowboys game could begin to take their toll on his body, despite only being sacked twice.

‘When you’re 45, your body changes a lot. So what am I dealing with now? I woke up today going, ‘Holy s***, there was a few hits,’ Brady said on the pod. 

Later in the week, things seemed to have improved with Brady telling reporters: ‘I feel great today. Yeah, I feel great.’

Brady’s Bucs beat the Cowboys in a Week 1 opener, but at 45, he felt the hits more than normal

Brady has been known to take the occasional Thursday off during the regular season, but he hasn’t ever pledged to take a day off every week.

The QB will not be the only one getting veteran days off according to Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles. 

‘For most players, it’s important,’ Bowles said on Friday regarding practice time. ‘But I think when you play in the league a certain amount of time and you prepare a certain way, it’s not necessary to practice that guy all the time. 

‘You’re going to practice, but you’re not going to practice all the time. You’ll get a day off here and there because it is a long season.’

Brady said on his podcast that the hits are racking up, saying he’s taking things ‘day by day’

This season may already be taking a physical toll on the greatest quarterback of all time, with Brady mentioning on the podcast that he’s just taking things a day at a time.

‘You look at your arm and you got bruises, you got cuts and you go, ‘OK, how much longer do I want to make this commitment?,’ Brady told Gray. 

‘And I obviously made the commitment for this year and everything’s going to be like always — continue to evaluate all these different aspects of playing.’ 

‘I think for me, I’m just going to take it day by day and I will evaluate it as it comes,’ he continued.