New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he plans to continue playing in 2019 and beyond.
A three-time NFL Most Valuable Player, Brady is on record as saying that he’d like to play until he is 45 years old. The 41-year-old’s current contract expires following the 2019 campaign.
“I absolutely believe I will. I know I’ve talked about it for a long time: I have goals to not only play next year, but beyond that,” Brady said in his weekly interview on Westwood One. “I’m going to try to do it as best I possibly can. I’m going to give it everything I have, like I always have.
“It will certainly be a challenge. I don’t take any of these things for granted, but I hope I can keep playing, and I hope I can keep playing at a championship level.”
Brady has completed 351 of 537 passes for 4,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season for the Patriots (10-5), who have won 10 straight AFC East championships. New England can clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs should it defeat the visiting New York Jets (4-11) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET).
Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters on Wednesday that he’s focused on the Jets, rather than Brady’s comments.
“Yeah, well, I mean, right now I think it’s a one-game season here,” Belichick said. “So, we’ll just concentrate on the Jets and worry about next year, next year, worry about next week, next week, worry about last year some other year.”
While Brady has shown signs of struggling this season, he insists health is not the issue.
“I’m feeling really good,” Brady said on Westwood One. “It’s been 15 weeks of football and there’s always bumps and bruises you deal with. But I’m feeling great for this time of year. I’ll take it every year to be feeling as good as I am at this time of the season.”
Brady has led the Patriots to eight Super Bowl appearances in 17 completed seasons since taking over as the team’s starter early in the 2001 campaign.
A four-time Super Bowl MVP, Brady threw for a league-best 4,577 yards along with 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 2017.
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