New England Patriots: 5 burning questions in 2018

1. Could this be it for Tom Brady?

Tom Brady, with his five Super Bowl rings and all, has said in the past that he wants to continue playing in the NFL until he’s 45. That would be a remarkable accomplishment for a guy who has already accomplished more in the NFL than anybody could ever possibly hope to accomplish.

Recently, however, Brady said that he sees his career coming to an end sooner rather than later. He said he still wants to play until he’s 45, but let’s think about it realistically. That would mean playing for at least four, maybe five, more seasons. Brady has children who aren’t getting younger, and as a devoted father, he wants to be around for all of their important childhood things.

If Brady does decide to call it a career sooner rather than later, it will be because of family reasons, not because he’s too washed up to play the game anymore. Last season, at age 40, Brady was named NFL MVP after taking yet another injury-plagued team back to the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl LII, he gave the best Super Bowl performance of his career and probably of all time, throwing for an incredible 505 yards with three touchdowns. Despite all of this, the Patriots still lost the game 41-33 to the Eagles.

Next: Five bold predictions for the Baltimore Ravens in 2018

Realistically, if Brady has his family in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him hang up the cleats after the 2018 season, especially if he wins his sixth Super Bowl. There would be nothing better for him than to ride off into the sunset with his sixth Lombardi Trophy, with his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen and his three children waiting for him on the other side, where he would have the opportunity to watch them grow up and be 100 percent devoted to them.

But it’s hard to tell. Brady has said he wants to play until he’s 45 years old, and nobody should put it past him.