New England Patriots: Tom Brady has arrived for Training Camp

Five-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady reported to Gillette Stadium Monday morning for the New England Patriots.

Fresh off his fifth Super Bowl, Tom Brady reported to New England Patriots camp on Monday.  Position players do not report to camp until Wednesday, while quarterbacks, rookies and injured players reported on Monday. The first official practice will take place on Thursday, July 27.

Brady is coming off one of his best seasons as pro in 2016. He broke the NFL touchdown to interception ratio at 14:1, and his 112.2 passer rating was his best since 2007. This will be Brady’s 18th NFL season and he will turn 40 on August 3rd.

Many analysts have begun to wonder if Brady will be able to keep up his historic play over a 16 game season at 40 years of age. Absorbing 16 games worth of hits instead of 12 could take a toll on the quarterback body and play level.

Brady posted a photo on Instagram sharing that he’s back in Boston for training camp.

"“It feels so good to be baaaaaaaaack #trainingcamp#LETSGO,”"

Brady captioned a photo of him smiling while giving a thumbs up. He also appeared to be seated in an Aston Martin vehicle, his newest sponsor.

"“But Brady will not be able to play forever, as he seems so intent upon trying to do,” said Mark Maske in a recent article in the Washington Post. “At some point, he will lose his fastball and begin to show his age. That point very well might be a few years away. But there is simply no way of knowing for certain. It will be interesting indeed to see whether playing a 16-game season at age 40 proves to be significantly more taxing on him than playing a 12-game season at age 39 was.”"

The only quarterback in NFL history who achieved success with the age of 40 or older was Warren Moon. Moon entered the 1997 season with Seattle at 40 years of age (turned 41 during the season). Moon threw for 25 touchdowns and led the league with 245.2 passing yards per game.

Peyton Manning had to call it quits at 39, due to a career low 67.9 passer rating and nine passing touchdowns. Brett Favre played one season in his 40’s and turned in a career worse 69.9 passer rating and 11 touchdowns.

Doug Flutie and Vinny Testaverde were still playing after their 40th birthday, but saw little success. Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgenson and Len Dawson were both backups after they turned 40.

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Brady obviously has made it know he wants to play until he’s 45 or even 50. Previous history shows that playing that late is nearly impossible, but Brady is in the best shape of his life and shows no signs of slowing down. Brady opens the season as the favorite to win the NFL MVP, per Bovada. With a sixth Super Bowl in his sights, expect to see a very motivated Brady this offseason.