Tom Brady spent 23 NFL seasons treating August like the games counted. Now, as more stars watch preseason action from the sideline, he’s wondering when that became the norm.
Brady reposted a clip Sunday from a 2010 New England Patriots preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. The scoreboard showed more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, with Brady still under center. He used the old footage to take a pointed shot at the state of the league.
Tom Brady Takes Aim at Preseason Rest Trend
“Preseason…. Regular season… I never wanted to be taken off the field,” Brady wrote on his Instagram Story. “Practice makes perfect… Too many people looking for easy ways out these days. When you’re a football player, and it’s football season, your job is to play football.”
The clip gave Brady a pretty convenient receipt.
New England’s official notes from that Aug. 26, 2010 game show Brady played through the Patriots’ first offensive series of the fourth quarter. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 158.0 passer rating. One of those scores was a 65-yard strike to Randy Moss in the third quarter.
The league has, of course, changed since then. The NFL moved to a 17-game regular season and three preseason games beginning in 2021, giving coaches fewer exhibition opportunities while increasing the value of keeping starters healthy.
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Plenty still choose caution. Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert and Brock Purdy were among the prominent quarterbacks who sat their 2026 preseason openers.
Brady clearly believes avoiding those reps can go too far.
The stance fits another criticism he made this summer. Brady drew backlash after saying some practice squad players prefer avoiding the pressure that comes with being elevated to the active roster. His latest message again centers on the idea that players should embrace opportunities to compete rather than look for protection from them.
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Tom Brady’s Raiders Still Put Their Quarterbacks to Work
Brady is not offering the opinion entirely from retirement. He is also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, adding another layer to his comments as his own organization works through a quarterback competition.
Las Vegas played both Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza in Thursday’s preseason opener. Cousins completed five of six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive. Mendoza then played four drives, finishing 10 of 16 for 97 yards and another score.
Those reps matter for a Raiders offense trying to climb from the bottom of the league. Las Vegas finished 2025 with a 56.3 PFN Offense Impact score, ranking 31st in the league.
There is an obvious counterargument to Brady’s position. Coaches are trying to protect multimillion-dollar investments from injuries in games that do not count, and joint practices now provide controlled work against other teams.
Brady’s answer appears considerably less complicated.
If it is football season, play football.
It is certainly an old-school view. Then again, Brady has the old preseason tape to prove he lived by it.
