New deal links Tom Brady to Patriots through 2019

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2019 season, NFL sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini.

Brady had two years left on his contract, paying him $9 million in 2016 and $10 million in 2017. Brady's salary-cap charge for 2016 was scheduled to be a team-high $15 million, and the extension likely will lower that number.

The Patriots have about $13 million in salary-cap space and are in the beginning stages of planning for possible extensions with a core group of defenders whose contracts expire after the 2016 season. That group includes linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower, defensive end Chandler Jones and cornerback Malcolm Butler.

The deal with Brady is not yet signed and may not be for a little while, sources said.

Brady turns 39 in August, and the new deal gives him the chance to play into his 40s, something he has expressed an interest in doing.

Backup Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, a 2014 second-round draft choice out of Eastern Illinois, is signed through the 2017 season.