Tom Brady has played in nine Super Bowls. He’s won six of them and was the game’s MVP four times.

He’s also been named the NFL MVP three times, has thrown more touchdown passes (regular-season and playoffs combined) than anyone in league history and is considered by many as the greatest quarterback of all time.

And yet Brady feels he still has more to prove.

Those are the words the 42-year-old quarterback of the New England Patriots used to close a lengthy Instagram post Wednesday morning, four days after his 20th NFL season ended with a 20-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round.


OK, whatever. It’s really no surprise that Brady wants to continue playing. The real question is where the first-time free agent will continue his NFL career.

Let’s see if his Instagram post provides any clues.

Uh-oh. The first two sentences almost sound like a goodbye to Patriots fans.


“I just wanted to say to all of our fans, THANK YOU!” he wrote. “After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades.”

But then Brady begins discussing his relationship with his teammates and the organization, and it starts to sound like maybe he’s not planning on going anywhere.

“Every one of us that works at Gillette Stadium strived to do their best, spent themselves at a worthy cause, and prepared to fail while daring greatly (h/t Teddy Roosevelt),” Brady wrote. “And for that, we’ve been rewarded with something that the scoreboard won’t show — the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything to each other in pursuit of a common goal. That is what TEAM is all about.

“In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You don’t always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again.


“And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove.”

So, what exactly does a guy who has already accomplished so much have left to accomplish?

Maybe he wants to outlast New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the only player ahead of him on the all-time lists for touchdown passes (regular-season only) and passing yards. Perhaps he wants to back up his claims that his TB12 lifestyle can help him play into his mid-40s. Or maybe he wants to go out with a Super Bowl victory, like John Elway and Peyton Manning before him.

It’s probably all those things and more.


And after a 234-word Instagram post, we’re still really no closer to knowing where Brady hopes to prove he can do it.