Tom Brady after win over Cowboys: 'How much longer do I want to make this commitment?'

Rumors and innuendo aside, one thing for sure is that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady turned 45 years old in early August and is closer to riding off into the sunset than to his rookie year. 

Brady completed 18-of-27 pass attempts for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the "Sunday Night Football" season-opening win at the Dallas Cowboys. During his weekly "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast with legendary broadcaster Jim Gray, Brady admitted he left his bed Monday morning hurting a little differently than after previous Week 1 battles. 

"There’s no margin for error when you’re 45," Brady said, according to Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post. "You know, you take hits and you feel every hit. When you’re younger, your body’s a lot different. And when you’re 45, your body changes a lot. So what am I dealing with now? I woke up today going, 'Holy s---, there was a few hits.'" 

Per ESPN stats, Brady endured two sacks and four quarterback hits in the 19-3 victory. 

"And you look at your arm and you got bruises, you got cuts," Brady continued. "And you go, 'OK, how much longer do I want to make this commitment?' And I obviously made the commitment for this year and everything’s going to be like always — continue to evaluate all these different aspects of playing." 

In what was a surprise move among outsiders, the seven-time Super Bowl champion took an 11-day break away from the Buccaneers during the preseason last month for unspecified "personal reasons." It has since been reported by multiple outlets that Gisele Bündchen, his wife, is unhappy he didn't commit to his February retirement and instead is back in the Tampa Bay lineup. 

While NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and others have said they expect Brady has started his final season as an active player, the future Hall of Famer repeated previous comments and told Gray he's taking things "day by day" at this stage of his life. 

"One of these days [the rumors] are going to be right… It’s really fun for me. I still enjoy [it]. I feel it out there, I feel the joy, I feel the happiness, I feel the camaraderie," he explained. 

Brady and the Buccaneers next play at the 1-0 New Orleans Saints this coming Sunday afternoon.