NFL retirement not an option for Tom Brady

Tom Brady says there is no reason why he can't keep playing in the NFL until he is well into his 40s.

Patriots' Tom Brady says there is no reason why he can't keep playing in the NFL well into his 40s. (AAP)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has made it clear that he he has no plans to retire and wants to keep playing into his mid-40s.

After telling Peter King of MMQB.com that his record-setting performance in Super Bowl LI wasn't his best game ever despite the historic 25-point rally over the Atlanta Falcons, the 39-year-old Brady believes he can maintain his level of play long past the age of any everyday quarterback in NFL history.

"I'd like to play until my mid-40s," Brady told King during a two-hour interview on Sunday.

"Then I'll make a decision. If I'm still feeling like I'm feeling today, who knows?

"Now, those things can always change. You do need long-term goals too. I know next year is not going to be my last year."