Tom Brady 'Excited' To Return To Patriots' Mandatory Minicamp, Robert Kraft Reveals

Tom Brady will be returning for the side's mandatory minicamp next month according to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Along with Rob Gronkowski, Brady was absent for the start of the organized team activities (OTA) portion of their voluntary offseason program that began Monday.

Having already missed a significant portion of the program, notably being the first time the 40-year-old has done so since 2010, there were fears as to how this would affect the Patriots leading up to the 2018 season and whether Brady would even show up for the mandatory minicamp.

However, Kraft put those fears to rest, speaking to a small group of reporters at the NFL's spring meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, claiming Brady intends on attending and is "excited" ahead of the new season. He is also understanding of Brady's absence due to the number of obligations he has outside the NFL and his need to spend time with his family.

"I think he's very excited about the upcoming season," Kraft said, as per ESPN. "These are voluntary workouts, and I think he's in great shape. I think he's at an age where — I was thinking back to when he joined us — he's blessed to have three children now and built a number of businesses and has certain responsibilities."

"I think it's very hard for him to fulfill those during the season and the commitment he has to football. I can only say this: I know he's very excited about being at minicamp and having a very special season this year," Kraft added.

When asked about Brady reportedly being at the TB12 Sports Therapy Center while the OTAs were going on, Kraft showed no concerns and spoke about the added benefit of the the three-time NFL MVP's absence from the offseason.

"I don't have a personal tracker. I have all I can do to fulfill my obligations," Kraft said. "The good news out of this, I've learned this over time, whenever one player isn't there, other players — we're in a business of quality depth management. A lot of other players are able to get reps they wouldn't get and go down the learning curve. During the course of the season, a number of things happen where you can't plan, and it's good to have as much preparation as you can."

Before he confirmed his plans of returning next season after some delay, Brady was believed to be seeking retirement not only because of the Patriots' 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in February, but also because of a reported rift between himself and coach Bill Belichick. Kraft though, denied it, saying everything remains the same relationship-wise.

"From my point of view, nothing's changed," he explained. "Everything is good and I think he's [Brady] very excited about coming back, and I know we're excited to have him. We look forward to a great football season."

The mandatory minicamp takes place from June 5-7 with Kraft also confirming that Gronkowski will be in attendance.