When the New England Patriots fell to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17, it signaled the possible end of a dynasty to many fans. As a result they were knocked from a 1st round bye down to a Wild Card Weekend participant. When they lost that to the Tennessee Titans – and didn’t look very good in the process – it was the final nail in the dynasty coffin in the eyes of some.

Not so fast, though!

All this dynasty talk basically revolves around the status and abilities of legendary quarterback Tom Brady. The 42-year-old isn’t getting any younger, and his contract is up this year which certainly muddies the waters. People figured he’d at least weigh retirement, but just days after being eliminated he’s announcing that he “still has more to prove”.

 

 

 

I just wanted to say to all of our fans, THANK YOU! After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades. Running out of that tunnel every week is a feeling that is hard to explain. I wish every season ended in a win, but that’s not the nature of sports (or life). Nobody plays to lose. But the reward for working hard is just that, the work!! I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organization that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way. 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). 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 dont 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.

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on

 

Well, that hopefully answers one question: It looks like Brady will not be retiring, at least not on his own volition.

Now the question becomes, will he be a New England Patriot?

(H/T Instagram/Tom Brady)