Entertainment Sports Tom Brady Says He Could Play Football 'Until I'm 50 or 55,' But Explains Why He 'Obviously' Won't At age 44, Tom Brady is currently the oldest player who is still active in the NFL By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Instagram Twitter Nicholas Rice is an Associate Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. Nicholas has previous work experience with Billboard, POPSUGAR, Bustle and Elite Daily. When not working, Nicholas can be found playing with his 5 dogs, listening to pop music or eating mozzarella sticks. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 15, 2021 01:23 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Tom Brady. Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Tom Brady believes his football playing career could extend by another decade. While chatting with Amazon Prime Video's Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm during the Thursday Night Football face-off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles, the famed athlete spoke about playing into his 50's. "I really think I can play as long as I want," Brady, 44, said. "I could literally play until I'm 50 or 55 if I wanted to." The father of three added, however, "I don't think I will obviously," noting there is a reason behind why his legendary football career won't extend that long. "... My physical body won't be the problem," he explained. "I think it'll just be, I'm just missing too much of life with my family." Tom Brady Recalls Phone Call That 'Changed His Life,' Calls Gisele Bündchen the 'Love of My Life' Tom Brady/Instagram At age 44, Brady is currently the oldest player who is still active in the NFL. Last month, the star echoed similar sentiments that he could see himself playing until age 50 while with Bucs teammate and former New England Patriots star, Rob Gronkowski. "Can Tom Brady play 'til 50? Like, 50 years old? … I don't find it so difficult," the seven-time NFL champion said as he answered some of the most frequently asked questions about himself and his teammate from the internet. "Plus, in Florida, it's kind of a retiree state, so I feel like I can play and then just glide into retirement. I think I can. I think it's a yes," Brady shared. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick also believes that his former quarterback could extend his playing career as well, as he previously detailed to reporters in September shortly before their match-up against Brady and the Bucs. The big game was Brady's first time back at Gillette Stadium since leaving the Patriots in March 2020. "Nothing Tom does surprises me. He's a great player, works hard, takes care of himself. He's talked about playing until 50. If anybody can do it, he probably can," Belichick said.