Robert Kraft on Tom Brady: 'I'd Like to See Him Play as Long as He Can'

Tom Brady made it known to Sports Illustrated last year he plans to play until he's 45 and "isn't ruling out" playing football at the age of 50.

And that's fine with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

When asked about the idea that Brady, 40, could play for years to come, Kraft told Jeff Howe of The Athletic he's on board:

"I hope he plays. He's at a different point in his life. He talked about it. It's interesting to see that Tom vs. Time and see where he's at, his kids growing up. But that is something for he and his family to decide what is right for him. Me personally, I'd like to see him play as long as he can. I don't think anyone would have believed 10 years ago that he would have played this year, gone to the Super Bowl and been MVP of the league at 40 years old. It's just unbelievable. It speaks to the way he takes care of himself, the way he trains, how much film he watches, one of the hardest working guys. He is driven to excel. I think as long as he feels he is like that, he'll keep playing. We're so lucky to have him in our system."

Brady's 2017 season backs up his plan. The quarterback (40 years and 184 days) became the oldest player in league history to be named NFL MVP, the third time in his career. He also became the oldest non-kicker to appear in a Super Bowl when his team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brady completed 66.3 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns. He added 1,132 yards and eight touchdowns in the postseason, including a Super Bowl-record 505 yards.

The future Hall of Famer is under contract through 2019. If and when Brady wants to discuss his pact, the team will be willing to handle the situation.

"He'll be 41 when the season starts," Kraft told Howe. "Neither side has an issue with it. If it becomes an issue, we'll deal with it."

Of course, Brady and Kraft were at the center of a January ESPN report by Seth Wickersham that detailed a power struggle between the quarterback, the owner and coach Bill Belichick. According to the report, Belichick wanted Jimmy Garoppolo to remain with the team, as he did not want to commit to an aging quarterback in his 40s. Garoppolo—and third-stringer Jacoby Brissett—was traded last season after Brady reportedly expressed his desire to continue playing in New England for the foreseeable future.

Sure, the five-time Super Bowl champion's career will have to end at some point—but he has shown no signs of slowing down.