Judging by Tom Brady’s comments shortly after the New England Patriots season ended, it seems as if the quarterback isn’t going to hang it up just yet.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made no secret of his wish to have Tom Brady back in Foxborough if he’s going to extend his playing career beyond 2019. However the bigger question that needed to be answered first is whether or Brady was even interested in playing more. Judging by his comments shortly after the Pats’ season was ended by the Tennessee Titans, Brady has made it clear the competitive fire has not gone out.
Despite a season in which the Patriots found themselves going from the No. 1 overall seed to losing in the first round to the No. 6 seed, Brady sounded ready to return somewhere on his latest Instagram post where he wrote the following:
"In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You dont always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again. And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove."
Brady was clearly frustrated this season with his cadre of playmakers available to him, especially compared to years past , so it would be curious to see if Brady would want to return to New England where such frustrations and questions remain. The Pats will also be penalized in some form due to their illegal video surveillance of the Cincinnati Bengals, which could further hinder their efforts.
For the Chiefs, Brady has represented the last hurdle to the Super Bowl, the franchise standing in the way of the team’s championship dreams. Last season, the Patriots won after the Chiefs shot themselves in the foot with an offsides penalty. Every year, the Pats are seemingly atop the AFC and headed to another Super Bowl while the rest of the contenders sit and wait for Brady to finally retire.
Rumors have also included Brady choosing a potential new home, as an unrestricted free agent, in L.A. with the Chargers or Oakland with the Raiders. Both would reshape the AFC West considerably. Overall it will be very interesting to see where he lands and how it shapes the race in the AFC.