New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made headlines earlier in the 2017 NFL season when he expressed his desire to play until he is 45 years old. While many brushed off his comments as an overly-optimistic goal, it is clear that Brady does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Although the 40-year-old had initially set his timetable for another five years, he managed to provide a bit more clarity to his future plans. According to Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com, Brady would like to play for as long as he continues to produce at a high level:

“Well, I never want to be a detriment to the team,” Brady admitted to a throng of reporters at Super Bowl LII Opening Night. “So I think for me, as long as I'm playing at a high level and I make the commitment to take care of myself year-round, I'll continue to play.

“So I don't know, things change quickly. Anything can happen, but obviously I want to keep playing. I love playing. I just love playing for the Patriots.”

There has been plenty of talk over the past several years about when the Patriots would potentially move on from Tom Brady. It ultimately culminated into one of the biggest storylines this season after they decided to trade promising backup quarterback Jimmy Garroppolo to the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Brady continues to make a mockery out of Father Time by enjoying yet another MVP-caliber season en route to a second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. He has put the stamp on his status as the Patriots' franchise quarterback for the time being after throwing for 4,557 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions.