Tom Brady on possibly passing Michael Jordan in rings and knowing when it’s time to walk away

Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady spoke with the media on Feb. 1 about his feelings on the possibility of passing Michael Jordan in championships, what makes Patrick Mahomes so special, and how he will know when it’s time to walk away from the game.

Video Transcript

TOM BRADY: Well, Michael is one of my sports idols. So, I think he's pretty incredible. And I think for me it just about being a part of a lot of great teams. And to have the opportunity to play in this game means a lot to me.

It's a lot of commitment and sacrifice by a lot of guys. And obviously, we're one game away from the ultimate goal in this sport. And I've been a part of that ultimate goal six other times.

They're all different. They've all meant something a little bit different to me. They've all been very unique in their own way. And it'd just be cool to accomplish it this time. I don't compare them to the other times. Those were all magical moments in my life and no one could ever take those away from me. And hopefully we can finish this season strong and win a Super Bowl.

That's why we're here. That's why we're playing. And it'd make for a really magical season for us.

I think the football preparation's been easier. There's definitely in a lot of ways-- actually my family's been out of town for the last six days. They're not coming back in town until Saturday. So, I really had an empty house for what will be 12 days leading up to the game. That's the most prep I've ever had. I could really focus on what I need to do from a football standpoint.

I have time to get my body right. There's been no travel for our team. When it's a home game, that's very different. We stay at our own home. That's very different. You don't have to eat hotel food for a week. That's very different. The stadium will be, I don't know, 25,000 people. That'll be different.

A lot of the non football stuff I'd say is entirely different. The football has been, I would say, helpful for me. I love the preparation of it. I think for me, the more I study, the more I watch, the more I understand, the more information I can process, the better it is for me. So, in that aspect I love having the two weeks that we have. And with six days left, it'll go really quickly. But I'm going to use it as best I can to try to be as physically prepared. Spend as much time with my body coach Alex Guerrero as possible. As much time studying film as possible. And then, not wasting any energy and being prepared for a long day on Sunday because it's a long day of football. But we've got to be at our best.

I just think he's just going to keep improving. I don't know him that well. I know obviously quite a few people that do know him, and they say great things about Pat. And the times that I've been around him, I really enjoyed the time.

He's got a great maturity about him. He's a great leader. He's got great charisma. Again, I think it always speaks a lot when the players that he plays with say great things about him. And it looks like all of those guys on the Chiefs, they love that Pat's the leader. He's got a great relationship with his receivers. I think that always says a lot.

And I think there's a lot of things that make him a great player. Obviously his physical skill set, but I think he's got the ability to focus when the moments are the biggest and to deliver for his team. So, that's probably the mark of any great athlete. It's coming through in the clutch, and I think he's off to a great start in his career doing that.

When to walk away? That's a good question. I think I'll know when it's time. So, I don't know when that time will come. But I think I'll know and I'll understand that I gave everything I could to give to this game.

You put a lot into it. I don't think I can ever go at this game half-assed. I got to put everything into it. So, when I put it all out there, I feel like I can't do that anymore, I don't feel like I can commit to the team in the way that the team needs me, then I think that's probably time to walk away.