Tom Brady knows when it'll be time to retire, it just won't be happening any time soon.
During an interview with Pro Football Talk's Peter King, the 44-year-old quarterback said he'll continue to play football as long as he's capable of winning Super Bowls.
“I’ll know when the time’s right. If I can’t…if I’m not a championship-level quarterback, then I’m not gonna play,” Brady said. “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.”
Brady is, of course, just months removed from winning his seventh Super Bowl championship, as well as recording 40 regular-season touchdowns -- the second-highest single-season total of his 20-year career -- during his first season as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During the interview with King, Brady addressed how much fun he's having with his new team, while also making an unprompted mention of New England, where he spent his first 20 NFL seasons playing for the New England Patriots.
“If you’re doing what you love doing and you’re with people you love doing it with, it’s all good,” Brady said. “You can go to the Bahamas and play golf with the worst threesome of all time and you’re gonna have a horrible time. Or you can go to the local muni with your three best friends and have the best time. I love the guys I’m working with. This is nothing about New England. I love New England. I love the players. I love the coaches. It was magical.”
Perhaps Brady's unprompted mention of New England was just him getting ahead of the natural reaction most will have when speaking highly of his new surroundings.
Still, it's worth mentioning, with the quarterback set to make his first appearance at Gillette Stadium as a member of another team when the Patriots host the Buccaneers in Week 4 of the upcoming 2021 NFL season.
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