Tom Brady Still Planning To Play Until He’s 45

Patriots QB Tom Brady said during an interview with WEEI that he’s still hoping to play until he’s 45 years old. 

“Yeah, I do. I certainly hope so,” Brady said, via Pro Football Talk.

Brady added that the only thing that could prevent him from playing that long is if he’s unable to get his body in shape for the season. 

“It’s a big commitment and it’s a lot of time and energy I put into getting ready for practice, post-practice treatment,” Brady said. “The mental part of the game is not the challenge. It’s just really working hard to keep my body in physical preparation, physical shape. I’m not a robot. It’s a lot of time and energy to prepare myself and my body to play. I love doing that, and I think that’s why I’ve been very fortunate to play as long as I have.”

Brady signed a new contract with the Patriots, but the deal will void after this season and prevents New England from franchising or transition tagging him. 

“Those are some personal feelings and there’s a lot of personal conversations I’ve had that really aren’t for other people’s knowledge,” Brady said. “I think what this is about is this season and dealing with this year. Beyond this year, whether it’s signing five more years, or signing a franchise tag, or not playing, none of those things needed to be decided this year. I think what it was was focusing on this season and being in the right mental, emotional frame of mind to go out there and perform at my highest level.”

Brady, 42, is a former sixth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2000. He was in the final year of his two-year, $41 million contract when he agreed to a two-year extension a few weeks ago. 

Brady stands to make $23 million for the 2019 season.

In 2018, Brady appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots and completed 65.8 percent of their passes for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Pro Football Focus rated him as the No. 3 quarterback out of 38 qualifying players.