Father Time still isn't close to defeating Tom Brady.
The former New England Patriots quarterback just won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers at age 43 and celebrated this offseason by signing a contract extension that keeps him in Tampa Bay through 2022 and includes three additional voidable years beyond the 2022 season.
But Brady will be 45 years old in 2022, and he's said before his goal is to play until 45. So, surely he won't stay past a third season with the Bucs ... and there's no way they sign him to another contract extension, right?
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Curran: This would be Patriots' ideal 2021 schedule
Not necessarily. Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht said Monday on "The Rich Eisen Show" that Brady has given the team "no inkling at all" about when he might retire.
“I told him if he wants to play until he’s 50, and he’s still playing and he feels like he can still play, he can play until he’s 50," Licht told Eisen.
The thought of a 50-year-old Brady playing in his eighth season for the Bucs in 2027 seems unfathomable -- but then again, so was Brady winning an NFL MVP award at age 40 and two Super Bowl titles with two different teams on the other side of 40.
In fact, the idea of the GOAT making it to age 45 seemed like a stretch after a disappointing final season with the Patriots in 2019. But the move to Tampa appears to have revitalized Brady, who threw for 40 touchdowns last season -- the second-most of his NFL career -- while leading the Bucs to a championship.
New England Patriots
Brady took a team-friendly deal this offseason to help Licht bring back much of that championship core, which is a sign he's committed to the Bucs for the foreseeable future as he pursues his eighth Super Bowl title.