Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will fulfil his earlier goal to play until he’s 45 years old when he returns for his 23rd NFL season. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Brady is expected to become the oldest quarterback to start an NFL game when the Buccaneers open their campaign in Week 1, eclipsing the previous mark set by Steve DeBerg. In 1998, DeBerg started a game for the Atlanta Falcons in 1998 at 44 years, 279 days old. Currently, Brady is the second-oldest starting quarterback to start a game in NFL history as he was 44 years, 173 days old in when the Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round in January.
But Brady is expected to break DeBerg’s record as he would turn 45 on August 3.
After that loss to the Rams, Brady announced his retirement from the NFL, but later changed his mind after 41 days. In an interview with Complex, Brady declared that he’s more capable of playing until he’s 50 years old, which would make him the oldest quarterback in NFL history, eclipsing George Blanda’s record of 48 years and 95 days when he suited up for the then Oakland Raiders.
Brady says he wants to be there for his children
“I do think I could play till 50. But I don’t think I will just because I know the commitment that it takes,” said Brady, adding his children deserve his time and energy because they’re getting older.
Brady’s 14-year-old son with actress Bridget Moynahan, Jack, will be a freshman in high school this year in New York City and he wants to be present during his football, lacrosse and basketball games. Brady’s children with his wife Gisele Bundchen, Benny and Vivian, are already 12 and 9 years old, respectively. “I wanna win on the field, but I wanna win off the field,” he added.
Brady recently shared a video of himself while playing basketball with Jack. As of now, Brady is focused on his preparation for his 23rd season and his 3rd with the Buccaneers, saying he doesn’t know what would happen after this season. The quarterback said he would work hard to get his body in shape in order to put the Buccaneers in the best position to succeed as they go for their second Super Bowl title in three seasons.
In his first year with the Buccaneers, Brady led the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title since 2002 with a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bucs create more salary cap room
The Buccaneers recently restructured Brady’s deal to create more salary cap room to help the team bring back some of their key players. Per Luke Easterling of USA Today, the move gave the Buccaneers an additional $9 million in salary cap space for the upcoming season. The Buccaneers can use the money to bring back free agents such as tight end Rob Gronkowski and defensive players Ndamukong Suh and Steve McLendon, who combined for almost 1,100 defensive snaps for the Buccaneers last season.
