NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Tom Brady 'willing to play six or seven more years,' Patriots owner Robert Kraft says

Lorenzo Reyes
USA TODAY
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium.

PHOENIX – Tom Brady just capped the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history to win his fifth championship. He will turn 40 before the 2017 regular season begins.

So how much longer will he play? New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has an idea.

“As recently as two, three days ago, he assured me he’s willing to play six or seven more years,” Kraft told reporters at the NFL annual meetings Monday afternoon. “At the level he performed at, there’s no one that would be happier than me. And our fan base.”

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Brady broke an NFL record for best touchdown-to-interception ratio (28:2) this past season after missing the first four games of his Deflategate suspension. He brought the Patriots back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl LI.

But while Brady has been the franchise cornerstone, the architect of New England’s Super Bowl titles is head coach Bill Belichick, who will turn 65 next month.

“I hope he coaches ‘til his 80s,” Kraft said. “I see Warren Buffett and Rupert Murdoch, and they’re in their 80s and they’re performing at a high level. We’ve got to keep Bill healthy.”

And with the NFL draft approaching and rumors swirling about backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo potentially being traded to potentially QB-needy teams like the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, Kraft deferred to Belichick to handle those decisions.

“I don’t have the right demeanor of our coach,” Kraft said when asked if he could envision a scenario in which Garoppolo would be traded. “I charge him to handle all football matters. We’re privileged to have the greatest quarterback in the history of the game, and it looks like he’s playing pretty solid. He’s off the charts in my opinion. We’re lucky to have him. That’s the most important position on the team, needless to say.

"I don’t think anyone would say that you can’t have enough depth at that position, and I’ve charged him to make those decisions, Bill, and I’ll leave that with him.”

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

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