Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady recently expressed his willingness to play until he’s 50 years old. During the “Tommy and Gronky show”, the 44-year-old Brady was asked by his teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, if he can play until he’s 50 years old. “I think I can. It's a yes,” said Brady in response to Gronkowski’s question. The seven-time Super Bowl champion added that he’s confident that his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, would allow him to play until he’s 50 years old. Even Bill Belichick, Brady’s former head coach with the New England Patriots, said his former quarterback can play until he’s 50 years old, saying "I'm sure Tom would know better than anybody, so if anybody can do it, it's him." Brady however is not planning to play until he’s 50 years old, as he hinted during his interview with the Wall Street Journal Magazine, as reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
During the interview, Brady confirmed that he will be playing beyond the 2022 season.
Brady says family will be a factor in his decision
“Maybe it’s another year after that; maybe it’s two. I’ll have to see where I’m at with my family,” said Brady, who’s under contract with the Buccaneers until next season. Brady however said his family will be the overriding factor because of the things that he’s missing out on. Brady added that it also depends on his performance, as he doesn’t want to suck on the field. “You think I want to go out there and look like I’m 44 years old? I want to look like I’m in my prime,” Brady added. Brady cited another reason that he wants to keep playing until he can because he might regret retiring while he can still perform at a high level.
“I want to make sure I don’t look back and go, ‘Man, I could still do it,’” he explained. As of now, Brady has shown that he can still play at a high level as he leads the league in touchdown passes with 10 and he’s 2nd in passing yards with 1,087. Also, he’s 68 yards away from breaking the NFL all-time passing yards record.
Last offseason, Brady signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the Buccaneers after a 20-year stint with the Patriots, where he won six Super Bowl rings. Brady did not disappoint as he led the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title since 2002 with a 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
Bucs protect 4 practice squad players
Ahead of their Week 4 clash with the Patriots on Sunday, the Buccaneers have used all four of their practice squad protection options, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. The Buccaneers have protected cornerbacks Pierre Desir and Rashard Robinson, kicker Jose Borregales and tight end Deon Yelder. The Buccaneers are currently depleted at cornerback with starting cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting on injured reserve and the status of Jamel Dean still uncertain after suffering a knee injury in their 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. Brady will make his much-anticipated return to Foxborough on Sunday when he takes on his former squad.
