During Super Bowl week, Tom Brady said he would consider playing past age 45 — his long-held target year. The Buccaneers then signed the superstar quarterback to an extension that pushes his two-year contract to a three-year pledge.
Brady is now signed through 2022. GM Jason Licht later floated age 50 as a (perhaps half-serious) consideration, but Brady is not making any hard plans beyond next season.
“Fifty? That’s a long time. Even for me, that’s a long time,” Brady said, via USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “I’ve always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach and that was my goal. This year I’ll be 44, so next year I’ll be 45. I got a two-year contract. I’m going to be able to obviously play this year and God forbid anything happens but play next year and then see what happens after that.
“If I still want to keep playing, I might be able to do that. And if that’s enough, then that would be enough.”
[RELATED: Bucs Extend Bruce Arians, Jason Licht]
Quarterbacks have played through age-44 seasons; Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon and Steve DeBerg suited up at 44. George Blanda played until he was 48, though the quarterback/kicker was almost exclusively a kicker following his age-44 season. While Testaverde started six games for the 2007 Panthers — a year after serving as Brady’s backup — Brady will be the only full-time QB1 at this age. Blanda is the only player to have thrown a pass at age 45, so Brady making it to 2022 as Tampa Bay’s starter would add to his list of NFL firsts.
Brady has managed to avoid serious injury for more than 10 years, missing only the four games mandated by the Deflategate ban since his September 2008 ACL tear. Although Brady underwent knee surgery this offseason, he was back in time for Tampa Bay’s minicamp. The Super Bowl LV MVP will attempt to lead a Bucs title defense over a 17-game season this year and, barring a significant injury, is almost certain to return in 2022. Brady’s health will likely determine his 2023 plans.
“I’ll just have to evaluate all that when it comes,” Brady said. “It’s a physical sport; anything could happen. So I’m going to go out there this year and give everything I’ve got like I’ve done every other year, and then take it from there.”
Good
The G.O.A.T. gets to make his own calls at this point. That probably was the case 6+ years ago…
He’s the Bill Russell of football, not the goat. Anyone who actually thinks Tom is the best QB ever let alone football player is delusional. He isn’t even the most talented of his generation.
talent =/= production. you could argue, say, RGIII was the most talented player when he was healthy. no one’s calling him the best.
Yeah but I was referring to Rodgers who actually has the production to match talent. I know people will point to rings but that’s a pretty bad way to evaluate individuals in the sport where there are 53 players on a team. Rodgers once had a teammate fumble a trip to the Super Bowl on the onside kick. Brady’s teammate once made the biggest INT in NFL history. There’s a lot of random stuff in football that make rings not the end all be all.
The bill Russell of football what a joke. Who did he have weapon wise on offense? Players like Woodhead, Edelman, and Welker were all nothing before Brady. Even Moss was washed up before going there and did nothing after he left. The pats plan was build up the defense and let brady do his thing.
Moss was not washed up. Two years before he joined the Pats, Moss had a thousand-yard, 8-TD season with a 33-yo Kerry Collins throwing him the ball, and his 16.8 ypc was the best of the last 11 years of his career. The following year, Moss had a bad season with Andrew Walter making eight of his nine career starts, and Aaron Brooks playing himself out of the league, and he wasn’t even 30.
If the Pats thought Welker hadn’t done anything in Miami, why did they trade a 2nd rounder and a 7th rounder for the former UDFA? Over the previous two seasons, he had caught 96 balls for over 1,100 yards from the likes of Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington.
Brady benefited from having one of the best TE’s of all time, and some other good TE play before that, if memory serves.
Antowain Smith had played himself out of Buffalo, but in his first two years, he’d gained almost 2,000 yards on the ground and run for 16 TD’s. Corey Dillon made three Pro Bowls before the Pats ever traded a #2 for him. BenJarvus Green-Ellis would gain over a thousand yards for Cincy two years after he did so for New England. LeGarrette Blount had had a productive first two years in Tampa Bay before Belichick traded for him after a lost third year.
With that logic, Dan Marino should have several rings.
Amk 1920,
On here looking for attention are you ? Mommy and daddy didn’t give you any when you were a kid ?
Why, because he disagrees with you? Why do people get so offended on Brady’s behalf all the time? He’s just fine, trust me. Besides, that team is so loaded that Brady won’t need to do too much to keep playing on the next few seasons. There’s no need to worry about his talent becoming a debate.
Haters gonna hate
Gisele finally beat the goat.
Get out while you are still healthy! Already proved he can win in his 40’s and without Belichick. Only thing left is a perfect season.
The GOAT probably loved a beating from Gisele. Who wouldn’t
Count me in for the “not wanting to be beaten up by anybody, no matter how attractive some guy on the Internet thinks they are” party.
Their is always risk of decline with each year at his age but this is a really good Bucs team. Given health and AB staying out of trouble again I could see improvement from Gronk and AB with all that rust getting knocked off. Their addition at RB is notable and most of a very good defense is intact. As long as it’s not a steep decline TB could win it all again even with a little decline they are a hard team to matchup against. I’m not some huge TB mega fan but respect him as the GOAT. Would love to know why Gronk retired only to come back when TB left NE and why TB left NE. I’d put money on it having everything to do with BB.
When you cheat the usual limitations on performance don’t exist, thus his records will exist forever.
Brady looks great. Age is so overrated until it is not…