Getty Will Tom Brady retire? He says no.
Retirement rumors have followed Tom Brady for some time. Starting in 2017, Tom Brady was already setting records as the oldest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. He broke his own record in 2018 and, again, in 2019. He breaks it every time he makes it into another Super Bowl.
When will Tom Brady retire? Will he retire after Super Bowl 2019? He’s been asked those questions a lot. After all, Brady’s already 41-years-old. He was born on August 3, 1977. However, don’t count Brady out. We all know the man is a machine, as evidenced by his famously strict diet, which doesn’t even allow “nightshade” vegetables. When you’re down to restricting vegetables out of your diet, it’s serious.
Let’s cut to the chase: The man himself says there’s “zero” chance he will retire after Super Bowl LIII. As in, none. There, that’s settled.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tom Brady Doesn’t Plan to Retire Until He’s at Least Age 45
According to SBNation, Brady has been clear about it: He wants to play professional football until he’s at least age 45. If he accomplishes that, SBNation reports, he will be the “oldest starting quarterback in league history.”
ESPN asked him in January 2019 if there was “any chance this is your last game” and Brady responded by molding his fingers into a zero. You can watch the exchange in the video above. He said:
Zero. There’s zero. I’ve said that for a long time. I feel like I’m asked that a lot, and I repeat the same answer, but no one wants to believe me. I’ve set a goal for myself at 45. Like I said before, it’s very hard to make it that far. I know how hard it was this year, and the commitment it takes. Hopefully I’ve learned from some of the things that happened this year to be better next year. But every year’s tough.
He was asked what would stop him from playing anymore, and he said, “I’m going to know. I’m going to know when the time’s right, and I’m going to feel like, you know, I’ve kind of had enough. I don’t feel like that yet. I feel like, you know, I’ve made a lot of improvements…I can continue to do it at a championship level, and I think that’s where I was at before, and that’s still where I’m at now.”
He added, “We’ve got one more game to go, and hopefully we can finish it the right way…You’ve got to believe you can do it.”
In March 2018, Brady told People Magazine he wanted to continue playing football, saying, “I love playing and I want to keep going ’cause I think there’s more to achieve and I still think I can play at a really high level. As long as I’m willing to make the commitment, my family gets the time they need, [then] hopefully I can keep playing the game I love.”
Tom Brady Joked That He Will Play Hamlet After He Retires
TB or not TB, that is the question! Tom Brady getting medieval and showing off his Shakespeare with this Hamlet rendition on the @colbertlateshow. #EverythingWeGot #GoPats
Brady joked about his retirement plans on The Late Show. “After football, I’m going to play baseball,” Brady said. “And after baseball, I’m going to play Hamlet.”
According to the Boston Globe, Brady “held up a skull and began passionately reciting Hamlet’s famed soliloquy.” That was obviously a joke, though. We think. With Brady, one never knows.
Gisele Bundchen Has Spoken About the Possibility of Tom Retiring
GettyGisele and Tom Brady both discussed his football future over the off-season.
Gisele Bundchen, Tom’s wife, has addressed the topic of him retiring several times. “I think you should talk with him about that,” she told Ellen DeGeneres in December 2018. “I haven’t been very successful. I want him to do whatever makes him happy, but maybe if you have a conversation with him — explain that you love the Saints.”
Brady told People Magazine in March 2018 that Bundchen wants him to be happy. “At the end of the day, she’s been such a supportive wife, and been so supportive of my career,” Brady told People. “I think she wants me to continue to do what I love and continue taking care of myself and, you know, make sure I’m still really present for my kids when they need me and still available to everyone in the family because our kids aren’t getting any younger.”
He added: “Again, I still love playing and hopefully I can play for a while.”
According to NESN, Brady also said, “I chose this sport…it’s a physical, violent sport. You see plays that change people’s lives and careers. One play changed Joe Theismann’s career. Look at the devastating injuries this season. It’s hard for family members who love you and care about you to encourage you to get back out there, deal with physical pain and they know that pain is inflicted. But I think for me, it’s been something that’s such a part of my life and I love the sport.”