Tom Brady says he can play well into his 40s. The New England Patriots are planning like he won’t.
Brady will turn 40 this season, an age at which most star quarterbacks have transitioned into the broadcasting phase of their careers. The five-time Super Bowl champion hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, either; he set an NFL record for touchdown-to-interception ratio last fall with a sterling 28:2 mark. Only Matt Ryan’s breakthrough year prevented him from landing his third league MVP award.
Brady has always been the kind of player who elevates his teammates around him, but 2017 may be the opposite.