Buccaneers’ Tom Brady Hints at Playing Past 2022 Season

Tom Brady Buccaneers

Getty Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Will Tom Brady play past the age of 45 after all? It’s starting to sound more and more like a plausible reality.

After creating headlines by saying that he could play until the age of 50, the 44-year-old quarterback once again opened up on the topic on playing past his current deal in an interview with The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay.

The topic of Brady’s football future after the expiration of his current deal — the last year of his contract is in 2022 — is brought up in the piece by Gay.

While Brady doesn’t definitively say he will or won’t play past 2022, he once again leaves the door open for the possibility of playing past the age of 45.

“Beyond that, I don’t know,” Brady says. “Maybe it’s another year after that; maybe it’s two. I’ll have to see where I’m at with my family. That’s probably the overriding factor—what I’m missing out on.”

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Age Doesn’t Appear to Be Major Role in Brady’s Decision

It’s notable that Brady doesn’t mention his age or injuries as overriding factors for why he would retire after the end of his current contract. The “overriding” factor is none other than his family, which includes wife Gisele Bundchen and his three children, all of whom are age 14 or younger, via Alexandra Hurtado of Parade.

Another main reason for why Brady could walk away from the game is a rather obvious one. The ultra-competitive seven-time Super Bowl champion says he doesn’t want to play the game if he’s not any good, per Gay.

“I don’t want to be out there and suck,” Brady says. “You think I want to go out there and look like I’m 44 years old? I want to look like I’m in my prime.”

At the present moment, Brady looks like he’s still in his prime. Despite the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first game of the season — in fact, it snapped a 10-game winning streak that extended back to November of the 2020 season — in a 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Brady looked superb in defeat.

The 22nd-year veteran threw for 432 yards in the loss — only the second time the veteran quarterback has lost a regular season game throwing for over 400 yards. In fact, it was the fifth-highest passing game total of his career.

So as preposterous as it may sound given Brady’s current age, it doesn’t appear as if wear-and-tear will play much of a role in his decision regarding retirement.

More than anything, Brady may just decide to hang up his cleats to spend more time with his family.


Brady on Verge of Breaking Another Record

As the Buccaneers prepare to play their most-anticipated game of the regular season against his former team, the New England Patriots, Brady is on the verge of breaking another record.

In addition to already holding the all-time record for passing touchdowns (591), Brady is on the cusp of breaking the all-time record for passing yards. That would be because the Buccaneers quarterback is just 68 yards away from surpassing Drew Brees (80,358).

As if the storylines weren’t heavy enough — Rob Gronkowski will also make his return to New England — wouldn’t it be fitting to accomplish the feat in the home stadium that Brady played in for 20 years?

It would mark quite a successful return, indeed.

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