Barring an odd signing or the most shocking draft pick in the history of sports, Tom Brady will begin the 2016 NFL season as the league’s oldest player who doesn’t kick for a living.
Veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck announced his retirement Tuesday, making Brady not only the NFL’s oldest QB, but also the league’s oldest non-kicker. The recent retirements of Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson helped Brady vault to the top of the list of the NFL’s non-kicking geezers.
Brady will be 39 when the 2016 season begins. The interesting thing, of course, is how well he continues to play at his age. Brady’s 102.2 passer rating in 2015 was nearly six points higher than his career rating, and he led the Patriots to within one game of their seventh Super Bowl appearance since he’s been drafted.
It’s unlikely that Brady relinquishes the distinction any time soon, either. He reportedly agreed to a two-year contract extension recently, a deal that will keep him in New England through 2019, well past his 40th birthday. Brady has said, perhaps a little bit tongue in cheek, that he’d like to play until he’s 50. He then back-tracked, admitting “that might be a little bit of a reach,” but he does keep himself in very good shape. And as we said, his play hasn’t slipped much if at all in recent years.
It is, however, probably safe to say he won’t play until he’s 70, as Manning recently joked. Then again, it’s tough to put anything past Brady.
Thumbnail photo via Thomas J. Russo/USA TODAY Sports Images
