Brady says he’ll play in ’18 ... and beyond

Ending months of whispers and speculation, quarterback Tom Brady confirmed Monday he will be back with the Patriots this fall.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Santa Monica, Calif., the 40year-old QB reaffirmed his desire to play for several more years.

“I have personal goals. I want to keep playing,” Brady said. “I’ve said for a long time I want to play to my mid-40s. I was told three years, when I was 36, 37, ‘You can’t keep playing; no one wins Super Bowls [at that age].’ It’s a great challenge for me. I think I’ve been challenged my whole life. I feel like I can do it.”

Brady guided the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the eighth time this year, an NFL record for any player, and he is a fivetime champion. He won his third NFL Most Valuable Player award after throwing for 4,577 yards and 32 TDs.

Looking ahead to his return, Brady said, “Part of this offseason for me is certainly about still preparing for what’s ahead in my next journey, my next mountain to climb with this group of teammates, but it’s also [acknowledging] that a lot of people are getting the short end of the stick in my life — certainly my wife and my kids,” Brady said. “Football is yearround for me. It’s a lot of thought, a lot of energy and emotion put into it, but I need to invest in them, too. ... I’ve really spent the last two or three months doing those things, and I think I’m really trying to fill my tank up so that when I do go back, I can go back and I think I’ll actually be, in my mind, a better player, a better teammate, because I’ll be really rejuvenated”