Buccaneers QB Tom Brady knew about his knee surgery during the 2020 season

Tom Brady has shown his human side this off-season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is considered by many to be the greatest ever NFL player.

At the age of 43, Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFL title. While he is an absolute machine on the pitch, Brady has shown his human side off it.

He was seen joking around and having a good time - something he never did while playing with the New England Patriots.

Just as fans were catching glimpses of the quarterback behaving like any other regular person, a new report came out in the NFL about his injury. The report stated that Brady knew that he needed knee surgery during the 2020 season.

Tom Brady played the 2020-2021 season with a knee that needed to be surgically repaired. NFL athletes play through injuries all the time, and one could say that it's not a big deal that Brady played with an injured knee.

However, the fact that Brady is 43-years-old and played an entire regular season and won a Super Bowl with his leg needing surgery proves he's not just any other human. In fact, Brady is a machine.

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When did Tom Brady know for sure that he needed knee surgery?

Tom Brady trots on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mandatory minicamp

NFL.com's Grant Gordon caught up with Tom Brady and asked him about his impending knee surgery during the 2021 off-season. Here's what Brady replied:

Year 22.@TomBrady | @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/z9zN93uFL3

— NFL (@NFL) June 8, 2021

"It was an injury I dealt with really since last April, May. I knew I'd have to do something at the end of the year, and happy I did it. It was probably something that certainly needed to be done, and there was a great outcome, so I'm very happy about that. I feel I'll be able to do some different things this year than I was able to do last year."

Other NFL teams will not be happy to hear Tom Brady say he wants to do even better next season. The 43-year-old veteran won the Super Bowl with an injured knee. Now that the knee is 100%, it's hard to bet against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in 2021.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed all 22 starters from their Super Bowl championship team. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl while learning Bruce Arians' offense. Now that he has an entire season under his belt, Brady is more dangerous than ever entering the 2021 season.

When the media asked Tom Brady about his thoughts on the Buccaneers' offense, this is what he had to say.

"We're not finished products. It was really our first opportunity to play together last year, and there's a lot of opportunity for us to grow."🗣️: @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/93k0DkR0BI

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) June 9, 2021

"I just think back to where I was a year ago at this time, it was very different situation in terms of what I knew -- the knowledge of the offense. And I think starting at a place like I'm at now allows me a better grasp of things. We're starting at a good place. We just have to build on it."

Tom Brady has impressed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching staff during their mandatory minicamp. Head coach Bruce Arians had to pull him off the field to rest because Brady wanted to stay on for the entire practice. The Buccaneers are heading into the 2021-2022 season with a good chance of winning back-to-back Super Bowls.