Tom Brady Says He Plans to Continue Playing Football in 2019
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seems to be asked every season if he will return for the next, and the veteran signal caller is already making plans for the 2019 season.
In his Monday night weekly radio interview with Westwood One, Brady addressed his plans to return in 2019.
"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," Brady said. "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."
Brady and the Patriots won their 10th straight AFC East division title on Sunday by clinching with a Miami Dolphins' loss. The Patriots went on to beat the Buffalo Bills 24–12 to improve to a 10–5 record for the season.
New England joined the Atlanta Braves as the only teams to win at least 10 consecutive division titles in the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL. The Braves won 14 straight titles from 1991-2005, which does not include the 1994 season shortened by the strike.
Brady, 41, has been questioned for the past several years about when he plans to retire. He has played all 19 seasons of his professional career with the Patriots, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. His current contract runs through the 2019 season.
Last season was perhaps Brady's finest season, completing 66% of his passes for a league–leading 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl. This year, he's seen a slight dip in his numbers, throwing for 4,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Brady has also dealt with a knee injury during this season but told host Jim Gray that he feels "really good" heading into Week 16.
"I'm feeling really good," Brady said. "It's been 15 weeks of football, and there's always bumps and bruises you deal with. But I'm feeling great for this time of year. I'll take it every year to be feeling as good as I am at this time of the season."
The Patriots host the New York Jets Sunday and will clinch a first-round playoff bye with a win. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET.
