Is Drew Brees or Tom Brady more likely to play until age 45?

Drew Brees and Tom Brady are both over 40 and still playing in the NFL. Who is more likely still be playing at age 45 though?

Which names come to mind when discussing the best quarterbacks of all-time? Drew Brees and Tom Brady are certainly always in the mix.

What's scary is that they are both still playing, and playing at a high level.

That being said, it's unclear how much longer either will go. Drew Brees is 41 and Tom Brady is 42. They've both seemed to contemplate retirement, but they've also both decided to return for the 2020 season. Even more telling, neither has said 2020 will be their last season.

So could they play beyond then? Do either Drew Brees or Tom Brady have a chance of still playing at age 45? If so, who is more likely?

There are a lot of factors when looking at this. As mentioned, neither has said 2020 will be their last season.

Due to that, you could make a strong argument that Brady has the better chance simply because he is one year older.

That being said, Brees has been playing better in recent years. Even with an injury forcing him to play just 11 games last season, he still managed three more passing touchdowns than Brady.

In the last two seasons, Brees (26 games) has 59 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions. Meanwhile, Brady (32 games) has 53 touchdown passes compared to 19 interceptions.

Brady does have the advantage in yards in that time (8,412 to 6,971). But Brees has completed 74.4% of his passes while Brady is only at 63.2%.

The big thing going for Brady is healthy. While he's had some weeks listed as “questionable”, he always plays. 10 of the last 11 seasons have seen Brady play all 16 games. The only four games he missed came in 2016, due to a suspension.

Brees on the other hand missed five games just last season. That being said, he tends to play 16 or 15 games every year. So it's not really a big scare for Brees either. It's just maybe a little bit less of a worry for Brady.

The biggest argument that Brees might have in his favor however, is stability. The New Orleans Saints seem more than happy to keep him with the team until he decides to retire.

Brady on the other hand, is an unknown. He's spent his entire career with the New England Patriots. Now that seems to be falling apart.

There's still a chance he returns. But clearly the relationship isn't as solid as the one between Brees and the Saints at the moment.

That stability could mean a lot for the longevity of Brees. If Brady is jumping between teams, he might find it harder to get motivated to return each season. Meanwhile, that constant will keep Brees' mind at ease.

If we are being honest, that's a much bigger positive for Brees than Brady. If both keep playing at the high level they are accustomed too, both could play through their age 45 seasons. However, as of right now, it's Brees that has the better chance of achieving that goal.