TAMPA, Fla. — A “long, arduous offseason’’ behind him, Tom Brady says his surgically repaired knee feels good and he’s happy to be back to work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion revealed recently that he played all of last season with a torn medial collateral ligament that required surgery shortly after the Bucs dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL title game in February.

The soon-to-be 44-year-old quarterback’s recovery has progressed well enough that Brady has shed the black sleeve he has worn since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2008 and is practicing without it.

“It feels good now. I mean, it was not my favorite offseason of all-time,” Brady, who turns 44 on Aug, 3, said Friday after the final practice before the Bucs don pads for the first time in training camp.

“I haven’t had surgery in a long time, so you kind of forget the rehab process and so forth. So it’s kind of a long arduous offseason when you go through rehab like that,” Brady added. “I got a lot of time with my family, so that was really enjoyable. But (I’m) happy to be back to work.”

Despite playing with an injury the quarterback said personal trainer Alex Guerrero helped him deal with throughout his first season with Tampa Bay, Brady threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns vs. 12 interceptions in 2020.

JETS: Zach Wilson dropped back for his first pass of his first practice of training camp and let loose.

A pretty, rainbow-like toss was snagged in coverage by Elijah Moore, and the 40-yard play had the New York Jets’ offense fired up. It turned out to be the best moment of the understandably rusty rookie quarterback’s day.

Wilson missed the first two practices of camp while waiting to have his contract issues settled, and then was on the field Friday trying to quickly get up to speed.

“I wouldn’t say I’m behind,” Wilson said. “It’s just my first live bullets again, you know? It’s just getting back into the mix. I know the plays, I know my assignments. I’ve just got to execute.”

The No. 2 overall pick signed a four-year, $35.15 million contract Thursday, ending his brief holdout after the Jets and Wilson’s agents worked out the deal following haggling over some of the terms. He took a red-eye flight Wednesday night from California, where he was working out with personal trainer John Beck, and got to the facility Thursday to ink the deal.

Wilson had been in touch with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur while he was away, and the quarterback tried to keep up with the playbook and the installation of the plays.

COLTS: Injuries kept quarterback Carson Wentz and center Ryan Kelly out of the Indianapolis Colts practice.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said Wentz was injured during Thursday’s workout and missed the final practice period. Doctors were still evaluating the injury Friday and Brady said it was unclear when Wentz may return.

Kelly was diagnosed with a hyperextended elbow and is expected to miss a couple weeks.

DOLPHINS: Cornerback Xavien Howard, who requested a trade via Instagram, did not practice because of an ankle injury.

Howard, an All-Pro selection in 2020 after leading the NFL in interceptions with 10, jogged off the field after the team’s warmup Thursday before resurfacing some 40 minutes later and watching the end of practice from the sideline. He watched part of practice again Friday.

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