"Tom's intentions have not changed," Yee said Monday. "He's consistently said he'll play beyond this contract and into his mid-40s, or until he feels he isn't playing at a championship level. I understand the constant speculation, but this is one point he's been firm about."

Just last week, multiple sources said they believed, but didn't know, that Brady would return for the 2018 season. One source even estimated that there was a "75 percent" chance that Brady would be back -- which means, of course, that there was a 25 percent chance he wouldn't be. It is why, in recent weeks, it has become a question within the Patriots organization whether Brady would walk away from the game. But Yee tried to dispel this idea Monday.

To that point, Brady is training every day. "He customizes his preparation to each season in order to maximize his performance," Yee said. "His training methods are always evolving and getting better. The year he missed the first four games -- that month of training on his own was particularly efficient."

Asked how Brady feels about his contract, which will pay him well less than what his former understudy Jimmy Garoppolo will make in San Francisco, Yee said: "His objective every year is to outperform his contract and his own goals. And like every player, yes, he thinks about his contract -- it's a pretty natural thing to do. Every team's management knows this."