It should be clear by now _ Tom Brady has no intention of retiring.
The 42-year-old quarterback has maintained that he wants to play in the NFL until age 45. After last weekend's disappointing wild-card defeat to the Tennessee Titans, Brady even said it was "hopefully unlikely" that 2019 would be his last year playing football. Of course, with Brady's contract set to expire this March, it's unclear where he'll play next season.
On Wednesday, Brady posted a message to Patriots fans on his Instagram account. He thanked everyone for their support and ended the note by saying he's going back to work because this six-time champion still feels like he has "more to prove."
"I just wanted to say to all of our fans, THANK YOU! After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades," Brady wrote. "Running out of that tunnel every week is a feeling that is hard to explain. I wish every season ended in a win, but that's not the nature of sports (or life). Nobody plays to lose. But the reward for working hard is just that, the work!! I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organization that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way.
"Every one of us that works at Gillette Stadium strived to do their best, spent themselves at a worthy cause, and prepared to fail while daring greatly (h/t Teddy Roosevelt). And for that, we've been rewarded with something that the scoreboard won't show _ the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything to each other in pursuit of a common goal. That is what TEAM is all about.
"In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You don't 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."
