New England Patriots: Tom Brady confirms he is playing in 2018
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady confirmed that he will be playing in 2018 and plans to continue his career into his mid-40’s.
Last week the New England Patriots received good news about quarterback Tom Brady via his agent, Don Yee. Yee said that Brady was prepping as if he was going to be playing in 2018. Now, Brady has confirmed that.
While making an appearance at Milken Institute Global Conference in California, Brady delved into his decision to play in 2018 and why he is changing things up this offseason.
Brady decided to not attend the voluntary workouts with the team. He missed some because of a business trip in Qatar, but even when that trip concluded he did not attend the workouts.
During his conversation with Jim Gray, Brady delved into many topics. One of which was why his plans changed this offseason. Brady cited his family, namely his wife and kids, as a reason for the change.
"“Part of this offseason for me is certainly about still preparing for what’s ahead in my next journey, my next mountain to climb with this group of teammates, but it’s also [acknowledging] that a lot of people are getting the short end of the stick in my life — certainly my wife and my kids,” Brady said in an hourlong conversation with moderator Jim Gray."
Brady is someone that is dedicated to his craft and taking care of himself. It is a big reason that he is still performing as well as he is despite his age. Brady won the MVP award for the 2017 season despite being 40-years old.
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Brady led the NFL in passing yards with 4,577 and passing attempts with 581 in 2017. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes, throwing 32 touchdowns compared to only eight interceptions.
Brady was a driving force behind the Patriots making to Super Bowl 52 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots did not win the game, but it was not any fault of Brady’s. He threw for 505 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort.
To get to that level he has had to make sacrifices. Spending less time with his family was one of those sacrifices, but Brady believes changing things up this offseason will help in the long run.
"“Football is year-round for me. It’s a lot of thought, a lot of energy and emotion put into it, but I need to invest in them, too. My kids are 10, 8 and 5. They’re not getting younger, so I need to take time so I can be available to them, too. … I’ve really spent the last two or three months doing those things, and I think I’m really trying to fill my tank up so that when I do go back, I can go back and I think I’ll actually be, in my mind, a better player, a better teammate, because I’ll be really rejuvenated.”"
Brady will be 41-years old when the 2018 regular season begins. It is quite an accomplishment that he is still as dominant as he is despite his age. Usually by this time in a player’s career they are preparing for a potential Hall of Fame speech, not prepping for another regular season.
However, Brady does not believe he is done. Brady plans to play into his mid-40’s he also revealed during the conversation.
"“I have personal goals. I want to keep playing. I’ve said for a long time I want to play to my mid-40s. I was told three years, when I was 36-37, ‘You can’t keep playing; no one wins Super Bowls [at that age].’ It’s a great challenge for me. I think I’ve been challenged my whole life. I feel like I can do it.”“I have a great system in place that works well for me in order to keep me performing at my highest level,” he said, referring to the TB12 Training Method which he called “part of the second career of my life.”"
Brady is certainly performing at a high level still. He is still a force to be reckoned with despite his age and the ever-changing landscape of the NFL.
The confidence that the Patriots have in Brady continuing to play at a high level was cemented during the 2018 NFL Draft. New England didn’t draft a quarterback until the seventh round, which surprised some people.
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As long as Brady is still playing at a high level, he will be under center for the Patriots. New England will eventually have a change at quarterback, but until Brady begins showing signs of slowing down, the Patriots are in good hands.