NFL Rumors: Tom Brady Determined To Play Pro Ball Until 45

For Tom Brady, age is just a number. And while most feel that his original plan of playing until his 45 is ambitious, the 42-year-old quarterback of the Denver Broncos could care less what people think.

In an interview with Westwood One, Brady sounded very confident that he can play not only next season, but also for more years to come. He admits that doing so will be a challenge since it means keeping himself at championship level to be on par with other teams and the influx of new and incoming players.

At 42, there is no denying that Brady has backed up those claims. He has produced solid numbers, although some feel that the passing offense of the Pats has not exactly been crisp and efficient. Brady himself has misfired at times, despite having normally done this flawlessly in the past.

The numbers don’t lie as well. For this season, Brady has connected on 65.4 percent of his passes for 4,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This is the most picks he has thrown since 2013. He also holds a quarterback rating of 95.4, again the lowest since an 87.3 mark also in 2013.

And while the numbers may send off mixed signals, one important aspect for Brady moving forward is that his love for the game remains, USA Today said.

“I don't think there's any greater gift in my life than to have that. Along with that has come to a lot of other very cool opportunities, but in my heart and soul, I love playing the sport of football. And it's brought me so much joy in my life,” Brady said.

Moving forward, Brady knows that the challenges will become tougher with each passing day. He has been there, dealing with the ups and downs. But for as long as he is able to build his mental toughness to deal with these emotional challenges, he feels that he should be fine and will be incredibly rewarded in the end.

Looking ahead, one thing Brady will have to be careful of is his injuries. Following their game against the Buffalo Bills, his name appeared on the injury report as having issues with his left knee. He was removed late in that 24-12 win over the Bills. The 2017 NFL MVP downplayed the belief that his knee has been affecting his performance on the field.

“It's been 15 weeks of football, and there's always bumps and bruises you deal with. But I'm feeling great for this time of year. I'll take it every year to be feeling as good as I am at this time of the season,” he said.