Alex Guerrero says Tom Brady will play to 45

NFL

“TB12” trainer Guerrero says he expects Brady to play until 45 but is preparing in case the quarterback wants to play longer.

Tom Brady (right) celebrates with trainer Alex Guerrero after a win over the New York Jets in 2016. Elsa/Getty Images

Longtime personal trainer Alex Guerrero has never had a client quite like Tom Brady, who has repeatedly defied Father Time to stay at the top of the NFL for two decades.

With Brady coming off a record-breaking seventh Super Bowl title, Guerrero thinks there’s no reason the now-44-year-old passer can’t do it two more times — or maybe even more.

Brady’s “body engineer” and confidant spoke on The Adam Schefter Podcast about his philosophy on physical training, which inevitably turned into a conversation about his relationship with the legendary quarterback.

“I’m proud of everything he’s accomplished,” he said. “He’s just such a beautiful human being. He’s a remarkable man, and we’ve become so close. There’s a lot of pride in just about everything he does. I take a lot of pride in that because he’s so humble and so amazing.”

Specifically, though, the alternative medicine practitioner and “TB12” collaborator says he’s most proud of Brady’s longevity and the idea that the Super Bowl champion will hit one of his most ambitious career goals.

“When we first got together and I asked him how long he wanted to play for, he said, ‘to 45,’” Guerrero recalls. “I said, “Great, that’s what we’re doing.” I think the biggest accomplishment from me will come probably if we make it through age 45 because that’s what his goal was. That will probably be the proudest moment for me, to say, ‘Hey, we actually did it.’

“I know from my perspective that I want to honor my promise to him in helping him with his goal. If his goal changes, no problem. If he says, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to call it a day,’ then great. No problem. I will 100 percent support that.

“But in my mind, I’m trying to prepare him to be able to do that. I thought about this year two years ago. I try to keep his body three years ahead of where we’re going to be. I’m thinking about not just next year, but, ‘What if he feels so good at 45 he wants to play to 46?’ I don’t know, so I’d better plan! I better plan to think about how I need to get his body prepared for 46 or 47. I don’t know.”

And if he plays past 45, why not just shoot for 50, right?

Of course, the NFL offers no guarantee that a player will be healthy at the end of the day today or tomorrow. The news about second-year Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers suffering a season-ending Achilles injury Monday serves as a stark reminder of that.

But at this point, there’s no reason to think Brady can’t hit his goal of playing until 45 or however long he feels like — and still being very good at it.

Originally found on Read More