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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) heads to the locker room after a 27-16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016. (AP Photo/Jared Wickerham)

(Jared Wickerham)

FOXBOROUGH -- Two days after the stunning trade of Jamie Collins, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady took to the podium to discuss the news.

As the person responsible for the transaction, Belichick had to entertain plenty of questions.

The questions for Brady took a different tone.

Here was one interesting inquiry posed to the 39-year-old quarterback: Tom, have you ever considered that it could happen you someday -- maybe not in the near future, but the distant future -- even in your position?

"Yeah, absolutely," Brady said. "You can't be around this long and not realize that the world will keep spinning and the sun will come up tomorrow without you. That's just the way it goes. I think you enjoy the experiences that you have and also understand it just keeps going on. It could happen to anybody. You just have to show up to work, do the best you can do every day and let your performance just try to speak for itself."

A few years ago, a close friend of Brady's, former Michigan quarterback and current B.C. offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, had a similar opinion.

"He remembers that someone can take his job in a New York minute," Loeffler told MassLive on Super Bowl eve. "He's the best quarterback in the United States of America, arguably. And every day that guy prepares not only to win, but he also understands that there is going to be someone behind him one day trying to take his job. And he has this incredible drive, not only to prove it to the Patriots, but to make sure that no one is going to catch him."

Brady has 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions in four games this season. His 133.9 passer rating is nearly 20 points better than second-place Matt Ryan.