The highlight reel moment of Week 1 was shared by Julio Jones, an offseason pick and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. It happened late in the second half. This had football fans buzzing.
Brady found Ryan Succop deep downfield in the last minute of the second half. He made a stunning 48-yard catch which led to Ryan Succop’s 47-yard field goal. Jones finished the day with 69 receiving yards.
Brady didn’t throw that play like a 45 year-old.
But a sideline camera (shown on Paramount Plus’ “Inside the NFL program) captured Brady admitting to Jones that he simply doesn’t “have that young arm like I used to.”
Jones was a free agent for more than four months and signed with the Buccaneers to try and win the Super Bowl.
45-year old Tom Brady to Julio Jones: "I don't have that young arm like I used to."
This was before he hit Julio for a 48-yard deep shot later in the game.pic.twitter.com/cYA19VwYDo
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 13, 2022
Brady, who is now in his 40s, has been able to play at an MVP level thanks to a well-documented diet and a meticulous workout program. The oldest NFL starting quarterback, Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champ.
George Blanda, who played football until the age 48, is the oldest professional player. His professional career began in 1949 with the Chicago Bears and ended in 1975 when he joined the Oakland Raiders.
After the Bucs’ Divisional round loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the last year’s playoffs, Brady announced his retirement. However, he reversed the decision just 40 days later. Although Brady looks like someone who could play well beyond 2022 NFL Network’s Ianrapoport reported that this will be TB12’s last season.
Brady and the Buccaneers are coming off a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. They will be trying to get to 2-0 Sunday when they visit New Orleans Saints.