'I gotta go do it this year': Tom Brady’s locked and loaded for the upcoming season 

We have gotten so used to seeing Tom Brady produce the goods season after season, it's almost possible to forget that he is a human like the rest of us.

One person who is acutely aware that his peak window of production may close very soon, however, is the man himself. Tom Brady knows that if he needs to add to his record-breaking Super Bowl haul, he will need to do it again this year.

Tom Brady: The Insatiable Warrior

Tom Brady wants to win it all. Earlier this week, he jokingly hinted that he wants at least two more rings. However, anyone who knows Tom Brady's career knows that even what he says in jest can often conveys the truth. This is a guy who was overlooked in the draft and has played with a chip on his shoulder ever since to prove his doubters wrong.

The clock is still ticking on Brady's window. The Tampa Bay superstar turns 44 this year and he has been vocal about wanting to play till 45. He has since acknowledged that he can surpass that target if he feels better, but there is no guarantee of that.

Adding a little spice to the mix is the fact that Tom Brady won his last championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a torn MCL. He has since had surgery, and while that may temporarily give him a boost, it will be a situation to keep an eye on moving forward.

Gronk on Brady's ability to play through a knee injury last season: "Tom's toughness is to another level sometimes. You don't even know what he's dealing with and he's just dealing with it on his own." #Buccaneers

— Sara Walsh (@Sara_Walsh) July 28, 2021

Tom Brady has soldiered on in similar circumstances several times, but those chickens are gradually going to come home to roost.

The time is now for Tom Brady

If we were to assume that he wants at least a couple more titles and wants to play until the age of 45, then math dictates that he needs to win the Super Bowl in both the years. It's not impossible but it's going to be incredibly tough.

Tom Brady's now under contract with the Bucs through 2022, the year he turns 45. If he plays that season, he'll have teammates who were born in 2001, the year he won the starting job in New England from Drew Bledsoe.It'd also fulfill his long stated goal of playing at 45.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 12, 2021

Perhaps that is why this offseason has been different for Tom Brady.

He has had surgery and spent time in rehab; things that, by his own admission, he had lost the habit of.

Brady, though, knows the long-term effects of the surgery will have to take a backseat to the short-term benefits that will help him win the Super Bowl this year. The price of greatness requires putting your body on the line, it would appear. But if anyone can break that wall, it's Tom Brady.