New England Patriots QB Tom Brady has expressed a desire to play until he’s 45 years old- so 6 more seasons- and he looks primed to put together the best age-39 season for an NFL quarterback in league history.
“I’ve talked at length about how I have been feeling over the years,” Brady said Monday morning on WEEI’s Kirk & Callahan. “I feel better now at 39 than I did when I was 29.
“I think it’s due to a lot of things. I feel like I am in a good routine and if I play a game like yesterday I feel like by Wednesday practice I am geared up and ready to go. It’s not like I do a ton of running anyway. I just kind of stand in the pocket, drop back and make the throws. You have to take some hits from time-to-time. For the most part, quarterbacks can stand in there and play a long time. For me it’s tough to tell.”
Brady was 28 for 40 on the day for 406 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He chipped in a couple scrambles, too.
Only 5 quarterbacks in league history have thrown for 300+ pass attempts in a single season at the age of 39 or older. Brett Favre did it three times, Warren Moon did it twice, and Doug Flutie, Vinnie Testaverde, and Peyton Manning did it once.
Favre’s age-40 season in 2009 with the Vikings is the gold standard for old quarterbacks, where he threw 33 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. Moon’s age-39 season with the Vikings in 1995, and his age-41 season with the Seahawks in 1997 season are the only two above-average seasons by an old quarterback.
Brady looks to join Favre on the positive side of the ledger- and remember that his age 29 season was in 2006 when he was entering his prime. Brady is extending his prime for now and he looks to be as good as ever.
Check out the transcript from Brady’s interview here, where he talks about his workouts during the suspension, comparing the 2016 receivers to groups in the past, and how he’s proud of Jimmy Garoppolo.