Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson meet after Wednesday’s joint practice; Brady says camp at 40 is as easy as ever

Mike Reiss | ESPN

To get to share personal time with one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks ever surely means a lot for an upcoming rookie.

That’s exactly what happened to newcomer Deshaun Watson.

After Wednesday’s joint practice between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans, Watson and Brady took time to speak with each other and offered words of mutual respect and admiration.

“He’s had such a great college career and got picked by a great team. So watching him play, he has a great future. He has all the ability and it was great to meet him,” Brady said of Watson. “Pro football players watch a lot of college players because Saturday night we’re at the hotel and Clemson was on a lot. Obviously they won a lot of big games. It was great to meet him.”

“It’s always good to be able to learn and watch a guy like Tom Brady, one of the best to ever do it – see him live in practice and how he works,” Watson said. “What we talked about, we kind of congratulated each other on all the success we’ve had and he had a little tip here and there on this league, this system and Coach [Bill O’Brien]. It was a good talk.”

Another thing that 21-year-old Watson can learn from Brady - who just turned 40 a few weeks ago - is longevity and how to sustain a successful career.

When speaking with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, Brady mentioned that training camp at age 40 is “easier now than it’s ever been.”

“I feel like my routine is better than it’s ever been. When you’re younger you don’t know what to do. After 17 years, going into my 18th year, I know how to prepare.”

Brady continued, “I’m never sore. I could practice every day. I could practice twice a day if they’d let us do that, but that’s not the way it goes anymore. It’s just fun being out here competing. That’s what us football players are here for. It’s football season – we go out and compete.”

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