Tom Brady has not played particularly well this season, which has resulted in all kinds of speculation that his career could be nearing its end. If nothing else, a number of people are starting to feel confident that Brady won’t finish his career with the New England Patriots.
On Monday, the 37-year-old quarterback acknowledged that plenty of star athletes have ended their careers in new cities when it seemed unfathomable that they would ever leave the team they had so much success with.
“The NFL is very unpredictable. Pro sports in general, they’re all unpredictable,” Brady told Jim Gray of Westwood One radio. “If Michael Jordan can end on another team and Joe Montana can end on another team and LeBron James can switch teams — you look at all these phenomenal players that have always switched teams.
“My goal is, certainly, not to do that. But those things aren’t always in my control. I would love to be here for as long as possible. Hopefully through the end of my career, and certainly this year is the only one that matters. That’s the only one we have in front of us and the only one we can do something about. That’s how I feel about that.”
Brady was also adamant in pointing out that there is no place he would rather play than New England, despite a recent report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that indicated there is “tension” between Brady and the team. The three-time Super Bowl winner called Robert Kraft the greatest owner in sports and Bill Belichick the greatest coach of all time.
In addition to being a future Hall of Famer, Brady is also a great businessman. He is signed with the Patriots through the 2017 season, but he knows all about Belichick’s is “what’s best for the team” mindset. While I believe talk of rookie Jimmy Garoppolo taking over for Brady this season or next is absurd, that doesn’t mean Brady could never play elsewhere.
