Tom Brady Reveals When He'll Be Ready to Retire From NFL

Tom Brady knows that retirement is a lot closer than what it was 10 years ago. He has said he wants to play until he's 45 years old, but now that he just turned 44, the seven-time Super Bowl champion might not be ready to retire just yet. Brady recently spoke to Peter King of NBC Sports and revealed when he'll be ready to retire.

"I'll know when the time's right," Brady said. "If I can't . . . if I'm not a championship-level quarterback, then I'm not gonna play. If I'm a liability to the team, I mean, no way. But if I think I can win a championship, then I'll play." That means that Brady has no immediate plans to retire from the NFL after leading the Tamp Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in February. And despite being 43 years old during the 2020 season, Brady was playing like a 23-year-old, throwing for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns with a 102.2 passer rating.

With all 22 starters returning this season, the Buccaneers look poised to go on another Super Bowl run. And if that happens and Brady is able to play at a high level, then why should he retire? with that said, Brady could likely call it a career within the next three years as he's not looking to play until he's 50.

"50? That's a long time. Even for me, that's a long time," Brady said to USA Today in June. "I've always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach and that was my goal. This year I'll be 44, so next year I'll be 45. I got a two-year contract. I'm going to be able to obviously play this year and God forbid anything happens but play next year and then see what happens after that. If I still want to keep playing, I might be able to do that. And if that's enough, then that would be enough."

Brady has two years left on his contract, but that could be extended if he continues to stay healthy and play at a high level. At the rate Brady's going, he could break George Blanda's record for being the oldest person to ever play in the NFL. As mentioned by CBS Sports, Blanda played his final game at 48 years old. Brady would have to be playing until November 2025 to break the record, which is very possible.