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Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just turned 44 earlier in August. He’s coming off yet another title in his first season with the Buccaneers and seemingly has the team as one of the favorites to hoist the Lombardi in February.
Brady’s ability to play at an incredibly high level into his mid-40’s is among the biggest accomplishments in modern NFL history. The future first ballot Hall of Famer has also indicated recently that he plans to play at least a couple more seasons.
In talking to Peter King of NBC Sports, Brady expanded on that. The quarterback was surprisingly candid in his remarks about when he knows it’s time to retire.
“I’ll know when the time’s right. If I can’t. If I’m not a championship-level quarterback, then I’m not gonna play.” Tom Brady told King. “If I’m a liability to the team, I mean, no way. But if I think I can win a championship, then I’ll play.”
To say that Brady is still playing at an elite clip would be an understatement. He’s among the top statistical quarterbacks in the NFL.
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Tom Brady stats the past three seasons
- 2018: 65.8% completion, 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 97.7 rating
- 2019: 60.8% completion, 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 88.0 rating
- 2020: 65.7% completion, 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 102.2 rating
As you can see, Brady actually performed better last season in Tampa Bay than he did in the final two years to end his two-decade run with the New England Patriots. Like fine wine, it appears that he ages pretty darn well.
Tom Brady feels good, but isn’t into making predictions
When asked whether he believes 2021 will be his best season yet, Brady opted not to play into that game.
“That’s a prediction and I’m not for that. I’m into doing the work. Is the process gonna be right? I’m gonna work my ass off to get it right,” the QB said.
As we’ve seen with other legendary quarterbacks in the past such as Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, Father Time becomes a part of the conversation.
Manning struggled through his final season with the Denver Broncos despite leading them to a Super Bowl title. Brees was a shell of his former self last season, ultimately deciding to retire after 20 years in the NFL.
Is Brady going to hit that proverbial wall this season? Based on what we’ve seen recently, that seems unlikely. However, it’s a foregone conclusion that he will at some point. That’s when Tom Terrific will opt to call it quits on one of the greatest careers in professional sports history.