Tom Brady Retirement: QB Reiterates Plan of Staying in NFL Until His Mid-40s
Robert Kraft, the owner of the Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots, recently revealed that their main quarterback Tom Brady has reiterated his plans of staying in the National Football League until his mid-40s.
According to ESPN, Kraft told the press during the recent NFL annual meeting: "As recently as 2-3 days ago, he assured me he'd be willing to play six to seven more years and at the level he performed. There's no one that would be happier than I, and our fan base."
ESPN notes that Brady's decision regarding his retirement naturally affects the entire team especially when it comes to designing their gameplays in the future. The team's backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is entering the last year of his contract with the Patriots and the report raises the question of how it is going to play out if Kraft entertains the possibility of still having Brady for that amount of time.
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This is actually not the first time fans are hearing about Brady's plans of staying in the NFL – with the Patriots – for more years. Shortly after their Super Bowl LI victory last month, Brady also told MMQB that he wants to continue playing until his mid 40s. "Then I'll make a decision. If I'm still feeling like I'm feeling today, who knows? Now, those things can always change. You do need long-term goals too. I know next year is not going to be my last year," Brady further explained.
However, even Kraft has some questions on whether Brady would be able to play as sharp as he does now once he reaches his target age. ESPN quoted Kraft citing one example: "I think there's one player at the age of 40 who had one good year: [Brett] Favre, for the Vikings. He didn't do so well before."
On other news, Kraft has also reportedly expressed he is hoping to have the free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler this year. Butler was offered a $3.91 million dollar contract but is yet to sign the paper.
