Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady has made an interesting claim after hearing that former AFC rival Philip Rivers will return to the NFL for the first time since the 2020 season.
Videos by FanBuzz
The 48-year-old quarterback-turned-Fox Sports analyst has said that he could lead multiple scoring drivers in an offense that he knows.
"Yes, I certainly could," Brady told Colin Cowherd on Thursday. "But first off, who retires and then unretires and then is ultimately going to retire again? Who does that? That's ridiculous for Philip to do that. But good for him.
"I think the answer for me would be yes. I'm not allowed to (play quarterback) anymore because I'm a minority owner of the Raiders, so I can't unretire."
Brady, a former sixth-round pick out of the University of Michigan, last played in the NFL at the age of 45. He threw for 4,694 yards while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he reached 649 passing touchdowns and 89,214 passing yards.
He ultimately retired with seven Super Bowl wins, 15 Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro nods, five Super Bowl MVPs, and three season MVPs. Brady earned a spot on the Hall of Fame All-2010s team.
Since walking away from the league, Brady has focused on his career as an analyst. He has also become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders while trying to guide the once proud franchise back to the Promised Land.
And while Brady hasn't suited up since the 2022 season, he believes that he could return once again and achieve some success. He keeps himself in solid physical shape, but that is not what really matters. Finding success at an advanced age often comes down to the mental aspect of playing quarterback.
"This game is about, for the quarterback, from the neck up," Brady said. "We used to have a saying at Michigan, 'The mental is to the physical as four is to one at the quarterback position.' That doesn't really go away.
"Do you still have the physical ability to still do it — take the hits, make the throws, the drops, buy a little time in the pocket? If Philip has been practicing those things, then we're all going to see it on full display in Seattle on Sunday afternoon."
