Why does Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady keep playing football despite being 43 years old and having won at least two more Super Bowl titles than any other player in NFL history?
It turns out Brady just really loves playing the sport and wants to maximize whatever window he has left to enjoy that part of his life.
“I don’t think proving it for me is the motivation,” Brady said during a recent “Good Morning America” interview with Michael Strahan.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“Like, I still want to play. I’ve got like a little sickness in me that just wants to throw a freaking spiral, you know what I mean? Also, about football — once you stop, you can’t go back and do it. I’ve got some more football in me. Not a lot, and I know that. But what I’ve got left, I’m going to give everything I’ve got.”
Proving his critics wrong as a sixth round draft pick has always provided Brady with a chip on his shoulder. Most legendary players across sports have something like that from their past to motivate them.
Prototypical Patriots: Which quarterbacks could team target in 2021 NFL Draft?
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
After winning his seventh Super Bowl title -- and first with the Bucs -- in February, there's absolutely nothing left for Brady to prove. You could argue that was the case even before he left the New England Patriots to sign with the Buccaneers as a free agent in 2020.
Brady is signed with the Buccaneers through the 2022 campaign, so he'll be 45 years old when his current contract expires. He has, on a few occasions, expressed a desire to play until he's 45.
Given the abundance of talent on the Buccaneers roster -- the team is bringing back all 22 starters from last season's Super Bowl-winning roster -- it makes a lot of sense for Brady to keep the Tampa Bay experience going as long as he can, especially when he's still playing at an elite level.