Tom Brady turned 40 on Thursday but his teammates said they don’t expect the New England Patriots star quarterback to slow down going into this NFL season.
Brady is coming off leading the Patriots to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history in February, beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime after trailing by 25 in the third quarter. It was his fifth Super Bowl title with New England, another record.
"It's pretty wild," New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, one of Brady's favorite targets, told NESN on Tuesday. "Today is his last day in his 30s. There’s nowhere else he wants to spend it besides the football field. But it's just unbelievable how he's turning 40 and just where he's at right now is just unreal."
Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler told the Boston Herald he sees no signs of Brady slowing down anytime soon despite reaching 40 in the NFL.
"I still think it's going to be a long time from today (when he leaves)," Butler told the Herald. "I'm just enjoying every moment that's left."
Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater told the Herald that fans should enjoy Brady's time playing instead of trying to peg him in a list of past greats.
"Why don't we just enjoy their careers?" Slater told the newspaper. "… Live in the now. Appreciate what you're able to witness. Down the road, maybe that's something you're able to reflect upon and look upon. But right now, just enjoy the moment."
Brady's NFL "moments" have been pretty staggering, according to ESPN. Brady has led New England to the AFC conference championship game 11 times, meaning that 73 percent of Brady's full seasons as a starter has resulted in the Patriots ending up in the conference title game.
ESPN noted that Brady has been named Super Bowl most valuable player four time, thrown 15 touchdown passes in the big game and have thrown 309 Super Bowl passes overall – all records.
"For Tom I think it's gonna come down more to motivation," Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, who also played at a high level in the NFL in his 40s, told The Associated Press. "Does he see himself having the same motivation, drive and desire five years from now that he has right now?"