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Tom Brady doubled down on his previous comments about his future after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. After being named the Super Bowl MVP, Brady confirmed he plans to return next season to play out the final year of his contract with the Buccaneers.
“This team is World Champions forever,” Brady told CBS, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “No one can take it away from us. …We’re coming back. You already know that.”
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians also explained that he plans to run it back again next season. Arians indicated prior to the Super Bowl that he would be coaching again in 2021 regardless of the outcome.
“Hell no, I ain’t going anywhere,” Arians noted, per Laine. “I’m coming back for two.”
Brady Admitted He Is Open to Playing Past 45 Years Old
Brady has consistently set 45 as the watermark for his career before retiring, but the Bucs quarterback admitted prior to the Super Bowl that he is considering playing past that age. The legendary quarterback added that the decision, “has to be a 100 percent commitment from myself.”
“Yeah, definitely. I would definitely consider that [playing beyond the age of 45] and, again, it’s a physical sport,” Brady explained. “Just the perspective I have on that is you never know when that moment is just because it’s a contact sport and there’s a lot of training that goes into it. Again, it has to be a 100 percent commitment from myself to keep doing it. I’ve been very fortunate over the years. Alex and I work really hard to make sure physically I can perform at my best because you take different hits. Over the course of the year, you deal with different bumps and bruises, different injuries and so forth. It’s just going to be me continuing to make that commitment to making it part of my year-round process to play football and continue my career.”
Brady Is Slated to be a Free Agent in 2022
Brady signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Bucs last offseason meaning the quarterback will need at least one more deal if he wants to reach his goal of playing until he is 45. As things stand now, Brady is slated to be a free agent in 2022, but Arians recently hinted that he believes the quarterback is open to signing an extension.
“Yeah, I don’t have anything to do with contracts,” Arians responded when asked about a potential extension for Brady. “So, that would be an all Jason [Licht] question. I think Tom’s real happy where he’s at, and I wouldn’t be surprised [if Brady signed an extension].”
Even before the Bucs won the Super Bowl, Brady emphasized his belief that he will be even better next season. Brady was able to lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in his first year with the team, and the quarterback did not have a true offseason to familiarize himself with a new offense.
“As long as I’m playing, I want to improve and get better and I think next year is going to be a lot better than this year,” Brady said days before the Super Bowl. “I feel like I’ll be in a much better place mentally. I’m going to train a lot better. Physically, next year, I’ll be in a better place. I know as soon as this game ends we’re on to next season. So, we’ll get ready for this season and then start thinking about next year.”
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Tom Brady Gives Definitive Answer on Retirement