The Future of Tom Brady

All good things must come to an end, as horrifying as the end may be. To Patriots fans, Tom Brady's retirement will certainly be the end of the greatest decade and a half of football. With Brady signing a 4-year extension that runs through the 2014 season, it is difficult to forecast whether Brady will retire, re-sign, or sign elsewhere. Brady has stated he wants to play until he is 40, but very few teams in NFL history have been willing to commit to a 37+ year old as their QB. It would be interesting to speculate who could possibly replace Brady, but it is nearly impossible as his heir-apparent is probably a junior or senior in high school currently. But in determining what Brady will do when his $72 million contract runs dry, a safe form of prediction is to look at the history of the position. Above is a compilation of QB's with similar careers to Brady's, both statistically and in terms of playoff and Super Bowl appearances and wins.
The 9 QB's selected won a combined 20 Super Bowls to go along with 5 MVPs over a 42 year span. They all threw 150+ TD passes and for 22,700+ yards while making 68 playoff appearances in 120 chances, equating to more than 50% of their careers. The oldest to retire was Jim Plunkett, who played through age 39, but the average age of retirement is about 37 years old. If history shows us anything, 15-16 seasons is usually the maximum amount of playing time, and the 2014 season will be Brady's 15th. Growing up in San Mateo, California, many speculate that Brady will return to his home state and finish his playing days with the 49ers or a new LA-based franchise. But many of the games greatest players solidified their prestige by staying with one franchise their whole career, including Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Derrick Thomas, Andre Tippett, Michael Irvin, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, and Mike Singletary (to name a few).
Brady already holds many NFL records, including most TD passes in a season (50), most consecutive playoff wins (10), and most wins in a regular season (16). A sixth round draft pick out of Michigan in 2000, no one could have predicted Brady would become one of the best to play the game. He is the NFL first team all-decade QB of the 2000s, and a Hall of Fame shoe-in. Staying on the same team solidifies his place as the greatest Patriot of all time, and retiring in New England would be the ultimate showing of allegiance, professionalism, and greatness. In the end, it would be best for all parties for Brady to retire following the 2014 season, finishing his unprecedented career where it started - in the small town of Foxboro, Massachusetts.