Getty Images

Tom Brady hasn’t specifically said that he’s playing football in 2018. Maybe he doesn’t need to. Maybe actions send a stronger message than anything he could say.

Consider this fact: Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Brady already has made arrangements to get together with some of his teammates between the end of the offseason program and the start of training camp in order to better prepare for the season to come.

Is it possible Brady rolls out of bed one day between now and then and says, “Screw it”? Sure. But if the absence of a clear statement that Brady intends to do that which he has done since 2000 — and has never hinted he plans to stop doing before the 2018 season — somehow counts as news, the existence of plans to work with teammates in the donut hole between OTAs and two-a-days definitely counts as news.

The talk regarding Brady’s future will subside considerably if/when he shows up for the offseason program. Until then, square pegs will be crammed into round holes in an effort to stake out territory in advance of the very slim possibility that Brady will walk away.