New England Patriots fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because Tom Brady's agent expects the five-time Super Bowl champion to play in 2018, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:
Schefter had previously reported that Brady "wouldn't commit" to playing in 2018, and that he had friends and family members who prefered that the three-time league MVP retire.
Throw in the reports about Brady having tension with head coach Bill Belichick (and Rob Gronkowski pondering retirement while hinting at dissatisfaction), in Foxborough, and there was some reason to believe that the Patriots icon was seriously considering hanging up the cleats.
But at the end of the day, Brady has trained an extensive amount and eats a very strict diet to maintain his health. The idea of him walking away at age 41 after winning an MVP and reaching Super Bowl 52 was probably crazy, after all.
That being said, nobody should be surprised if Brady is ready to retire after the 2018 season. His wife, Gisele Bundchen, said last year that Brady has had numerous concussions, and he also dealt with a hand injury during the playoffs.
On top of that, Brady revealed in the Tom vs Time documentary that he wanted to spend more time with his family, and he was unsure about wanting to commit to playing football much longer. Factor in all of this, and it's not hard to envision Brady ending his illustrious career in the near future.
With tension arising between Belichick and numerous Patriots players (namely Belichick and Brady), and the fact TB12 turns 41 years of age in August, many are wondering if the New England dynasty is nearing its end.
Belichick is 66 years of age and pushed hard to keep offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in Foxborough, rather than taking the head coaching gig of the Indianapolis Colts. Perhaps a succession plan is in place for Belichick, if he's ready to retire.
It promises to be a very intriguing 2018 season in New England, to say the least.