"I don't take any of these things for granted": When Tom Brady knew the value of playing over a decade in the NFL

NFL legend Tom Brady is well known for his long and illustrious career. Although there were many memorable moments throughout his career where he could have finished on a high note, Brady’s hunger forced him to continue further. Super Bowl LII was one of such occasions when Brady could have called curtains, but he chose to prolong his career further.

After winning a memorable Super Bowl 2017 against the Falcons, fans and former wife Gisele Bundchen expected Brady to retire. But Tom Brady was back for another season with an insatiable hunger to win more championships. In an interview with Westwood One radio show in December 2018, Brady discussed his future and desire to play longer. He said,

"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. And 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."

Tom Brady started his NFL career in 2000 and was already 17 seasons into his career. Interestingly, he had just won his fifth Super Bowl last season to etch his name in the record books as the quarterback with the most Lombardi trophies.

This victory featured a memorable come-from-behind performance, a retirement request from former wife Gisele Bundchen, and a special appearance of his ailing mother. But it wasn’t enough to stop Brady who had hinted at playing till 45 on multiple occasions.

Tom Brady adopts Pliability therapy for longevity

During the unfortunate leaked emails scandal, Tom Brady told his friend Kevin about his plans to play seven more years when he was 38. In an episode of ‘Tom vs. Time’ 2018, Brady reassured fans about his desire to play longer. He said,

“I would love to play five more years — 41, 42, 43, 44, 45,”

In another interview with WEEI in 2019, Brady again emphasized playing till the mid-40s.

However, playing for so long had a cost. The workload and age had started to take a toll on Brady’s body. Brady adopted the pliability therapy and later rebranded it as the TB12 method to maintain his elite fitness. In the end, he secured seven Super Bowls from 10 appearances.