Tom Brady reportedly urging fellow players to push for modified workouts

Tom Brady is making his voice heard in the ongoing spat between the NFL and NFLPA over offseason workouts.

Tensions have escalated between the league and players’ union in recent days stemming from the NFL’s desire to have players attend voluntary offseason workouts. The union had been urging players to stay away. The debate intensified in recent days after Broncos offensive lineman Ja’Wuan James suffered a potentially season-ending Achilles tear during an off-site workout, giving Denver the option to not pay his salary in 2020. The NFLPA is exerting pressure on the Broncos to pay James what it feels he’s owed.

Brady joined an open NFLPA call on Friday to weigh in on the workout issue. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Brady urged his fellow players to engage in “very intense negotiations” to modify offseason workout rules and make them less intensive. Brady cited the fact that the NFL is the only professional league with “very competitive” offseason workouts, and last summer’s pandemic-enforced remote work demonstrated that they aren’t necessary.