Playing in the AFC East isn't going to get any easier anytime soon. New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady told Jeff Darlington of ESPN that there is “zero” chance that next Sunday's Super Bowl LIII will be his last game. In fact, Brady said that he still plans to play until he's 45. The five-time Super Bowl champion will turn 42 in August.

Unfortunately for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and all of their fans, Brady plans to stick around for several more years and has put more work into keeping his body healthy than likely any other athlete, in order to ensure that he can play productively.

Article Continues Below

While the eye test shows that age has slowed Brady, no matter what he and head coach Bill Belichick have been there at the end of the season. Next week's Super Bowl is the pair's ninth.

Brady threw for 4,355 yards this season. He had 29 touchdowns, but 11 interceptions, his most since 2013. In the AFC Championship game, he had 348 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, but he showed himself to still have more than enough left in the tank in overtime. Brady led the Patriots on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to win the game, preventing Kansas City from even getting likely-MVP Patrick Mahomes on the field.

Brady's five rings are the most for a quarterback in NFL history. He's in fourth place for the all-time passing yards record with 70,514 and is likely to pass both Brett Favre and Peyton Manning next season, moving into second behind Drew Brees. He's also in third in all-time passing touchdowns with 517, three behind Drew Brees and 22 behind Peyton Manning.