Buccaneers players released a statement through the NFLPA saying they will not be participating in voluntary workouts this offseason, but that doesn't mean they won't be working out together at all.
Speaking at Bruce Arians' charity event over the weekend, Tom Brady acknowledged he will be leading informal workouts with his teammates just like he did last offseason.
"Yeah," Brady said, via ESPN. "We'll just take it and see how we go and see how things play out over the course of the offseason. A lot of things come up and change over the course of the offseason, and we've got a lot of hardworking guys, so guys will be anxious to get together and get to work."
He added: "As soon as I'm ready to throw, that will be really important for me. That's always a big part of my preparation — actually doing what my job is."
Brady leading workouts last offseason went against NFLPA recommendations because of the pandemic and it would seem this year the workouts will somewhat contradict the statement released by the Bucs players. If these players want to workout together, why can't they do that at the team facility where there are extensive COVID protocols in place?
"We know that our union worked to negotiate safety protocols, but in light of the ongoing pandemic, we are choosing to take a stand with other players across the league and exercise our right to not participate in the voluntary offseason program," the statement read. "We had a fully virtual offseason last year, and we held each other accountable to do the work it took to win and we plan to do that again."
