Bucs QBs coach doesn't think Brady 'was 100%' in 2020 due to knee injury

Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen believes Tom Brady never felt completely healthy last season due to a lingering knee injury despite leading the team to a Super Bowl title in his first year in Tampa Bay.

"I don't think he was 100 percent last year," Christensen said, relaying a conversation he had with Brady the morning after Tampa Bay beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine. "His quote, or close to a quote, was, 'Hey, I'm gonna get my knee fixed up, and I'm gonna be better next year, and you're gonna be excited about that.'

"Performance-wise, you wanna feel good. I think that thing was a nagging nuisance to him, having to tape it every day, just make sure he had that thing loose. So I think he's excited about just feeling good again."

Brady resumed throwing two weeks ago after undergoing surgery in February. The veteran passer opted to work out privately with a group of teammates instead of attending Tampa Bay's voluntary organized team activities.

The quarterback and other veterans reportedly returned to the Bucs' facility for a coach-less throwing session last week after head coach Bruce Arians expressed concern about players potentially getting hurt while practicing away from the team.

The 43-year-old posted an Instagram video Tuesday of him throwing and running:

Arians said Tuesday that he'll likely ease Brady back during mandatory minicamp, which begins Monday.

"I don't know how much I'll let him do ... with guys chasing him around," Arians said. "We'll see. We'll see what the doctors say. He may be doing a lot of coaching."

Brady put together one of his better statistical campaigns in 2020, despite the apparent knee ailment. He threw for the second-most touchdowns of his career (40) and the league's third-most passing yards (4,633).