Tom Brady reveals he isn't thinking about retirement yet, says he knows when 'the time is right'
Tom Brady recently sat down for an interview with Peter King of NBC Sports to discuss when he plans on retiring and wrapping up his illustrious career. For quite some time Brady has alluded to playing in the NFL until he's 45 years old; he's close to that near record-breaking feat as he just turned 44 on August 3.
That goal will be accomplished if he can complete two more seasons, and after playing the 2020 season with a torn MCL en route to his seventh Super Bowl ring, he appears to be healthier than ever. Going into year 22, the Buccaneers quarterback underwent knee surgery prior to training camp. The procedure was overwhelmingly successful and now Tom Brady will no longer require a knee brace.
Now the former sixth-round pick hinted that age would not determine when it would be his time to hang up his cleats. Instead, he mentioned that he'll continue to play as long as his talents allow him to command a Super Bowl contending team.
"I'll know when the time's right," Brady said of retirement. "If I can't... if I'm not a championship-level quarterback, then I'm not gonna play. 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."
After a season in which he threw for 40 touchdowns and 4,633 yards along with a 102.2 passer rating at the age of 43, I'll say that spells doom for the rest of the league for a few more seasons.
Can Tom Brady play until he's 50?
General Manager Jason Licht suggested earlier this offseason that Tom Brady could play until he was 50 years old. But Tom Brady refuted that notion relatively quickly. He said:
"Fifty? That's a long time. Even for me, that's a long time."
If this statement holds true, then we could expect the future Hall of Fame quarterback to play anywhere between 2022 (age 45) to 2026 (age 49) based on his performance last year and health moving forward -- if no unfortunate injuries are to occur within that time span.
Tom Brady has broken countless records over the course of his 22 NFL seasons. So it's not outlandish to assume that he'll try to break George Blanda's record as the oldest player in the NFL (48). Blanda played his last game at that age on December 1975. If Brady wants to cement himself even more in history, then he'll have until November 2025 to play.
Regardless of that incredible achievement, the league will have to deal with Brady for at least a couple more seasons.