Tom Brady explains what it would take to get him to retire from football

"If I think I can win a championship, then I'll play."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, left, reviews plays from an electronic tablet on the bench during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans. AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

By Tom Westerholm

August 23, 2021

1 minute to read

Tom Brady knows when he’ll retire from football — not necessarily the date or the time, but certainly the circumstances that will precede his decision.

Speaking with Peter King in a recent interview, the former Patriots star said he will keep playing as long as he believes he can win a title.

“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.”

Speculation has long followed Brady that he will hang up his jersey when he turns 45, but in recent years — particularly after the Buccaneers stormed to the Super Bowl and helped Brady claim his seventh ring — the 44-year-old has gently pushed back against the idea that 45 is written in stone.

In his interview with King, Brady touched on a number of topics. He said he feels the key to life is learning to adapt to change, and he decried a world he believes relies too heavily on blame and shame.

“We would never teach our kids that, you know?” Brady said. “We would never say, ‘This is how you’re gonna get through life the best — you’re gonna blame everyone when things don’t go right.’ Or, ‘I always get it my way but you should never get it your way.’ It’s not how to live a joyful life.”

Brady cited a recent conversation with Byron Leftwich, in which the Buccaneers offensive coordinator offered a truism about football that Brady greatly appreciated.

“It’s a very simple game that’s so hard to execute,” Brady said. “It’s a totally imperfect game that you’re trying to do as perfectly as possible. Every day I come out trying to do it. I’m hoping this is my best year.”