Once the regular season rolls around next month, Tom Brady is going to have to watch the first four Patriots games from the sidelines. But on Thursday night, the 39-year-old New England quarterback will delight the home crowd at Gillette Stadium against the Chicago Bears.
This according to the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe, who reports that Brady will play in the Patriots' second preseason game of 2016:
Brady did not play in New England's preseason opener due to a death in the family. He probably won't play very long against Chicago — the Patriots still have to figure out what to expect from Jimmy Garoppolo during Brady's absence — but we can definitely count on the New England crowd giving Brady a very warm reception.
Last month, Brady ended his appeal of the four-game suspension doled out by the NFL for Brady's involvement in the Deflategate kerfuffle. While the Patriots will certainly miss Brady to open the season, there's a chance that this all works out for Bill Belichick's squad, as pointed out by FOX Sports' Cameron DaSilva.
