The end doesn't appear as close as many fear with Tom Brady.
The quarterback seemed to come off of his "I'm playing until 45" mantra during the finale of his Facebook Watch documentary series Tom vs. Time, but now the quarterback looks like he's planning to play beyond his current contract. Brady's deal is up at the end of the 2019 season and would enter the 2020 season as a 43-year old man. While appearing on WEEI's Kirk and Callahan program on Tuesday, Brady showed the desire to play past that contractual threshold.
“I certainly expect to be here next year and hopefully beyond," Brady said, via WEEI.com. "Like I’ve said, I have goals to play for a long time. I still love doing it. I still want to do it, but I am also focused on what I need to do this year. It’s a tough challenge. It’s a great challenge. I have loved it for a long time and I still want to get out there and be the best I can be for our team.”
Brady added: "You have to have goals both long-term and short-term. I have long-term goals that I set for myself that I would love to be able to accomplish. I know it’s not easy. Any one game could be the end. At the end of the day that is what you realize as a player. I have played with a lot of guys. Sure, you have goals, but at the same time it is a physical sport and it’s a demolition derby. You never know when you are going to come out of it, but like I said, I take good care of myself. I am always trying to put myself in a position where I can execute my job, take the hits and perform well. I think I have a really great routine and I would like to continue to show I can do it.”
Brady just recently restructured his contract with New England adding an extra $5 million in incentives. While he has a personal policy of not speaking about his contract in the media, Brady did relay that he's very content where he is within the Patriots organization.
