Patriots’ Tom Brady Responds to 2020 Retirement Rumors

Getty Tom Brady could be retiring sooner rather than later.

No matter how many games the New England Patriots win, the question constantly persists — is this Tom Brady’s last year?

As the Patriots hum along to a 7-0 start and the best record in the NFL, Brady continues to face rumors regarding whether or not this is his last year in New England.

Whether it’s due to the fact that he’s listing his Massachusetts home on the market or because he’s 42 years old, there’s been rampant speculation that this is Brady’s last year with the Patriots — as silly as that sounds.

Tom Brady Says He’ll Retire When He’s ‘Had Enough’

While appearing on local Boston sports radio station WEEI, Brady addressed when exactly he’ll retire — by not answering when he will exactly retire.

Simply put, the six-time Super Bowl champion will walk away from the game when he feels like he’s had enough.

“One day I’ll wake up and I’ll feel like, ‘OK, that’ll be enough,'” he said on “The Greg Hill Show.”

“When that day comes, that day comes. I don’t know if it will be after this year. I don’t know if it will be five years from now. I don’t have to determine those things right now, either. That is kind of a good part of where I am at.”

Tom Brady’s Contract Expires After 2019 Season

Not only did Brady list his Massachusetts home on the market — something that ESPN reporter Adam Schefter made common knowledge earlier in the week — he is also in the last year of his deal with the Patriots.

In other words, Brady is only committing to the Patriots through the 2019 season — after that, it’s anyone’s guessing game, as Brady made clear during his interview.

“I think when you commit to a team for a certain amount of years, you kind of feel like your responsibility is to always fulfill the contract,” the six-time Super Bowl champ said. “For me, it’s been good because I’m just taking it day by day, and I’m enjoying what I have. I don’t know what the future holds, and the great part is, for me, football at this point is all borrowed time. I never expected to play 20 years, and I’m playing on a great team. It’s been an incredible 20 years of my life.”

If you think it’s unfathomable that Brady could play in another team’s jersey, just remember that Joe Montana ended his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and that Peyton Manning ended his career with the Denver Broncos.

Oh, let us not forget about Brett Favre with his longtime rivals, the Minnesota Vikings.

While it seems crazy to think that New England or Brady would move on from one another — especially considering they’re the best team in the NFL at the current moment — things happen.

It also is a bit interesting to see that Brady seems to be backing down from his initial objective of playing until he’s 45 years old. In order to accomplish that feat, he would have to play through the 2022 season — and who is to say that the Patriots want to commit to Brady for that long?

One thing is for certain — the only guarantee is that Brady will be in a Patriots uniform through the 2019 season.

Anything beyond that is a guessing game.