New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is edging towards extending his NFL career and playing in 2020.
The 42-year-old gave his strongest indication yet that he'll be in the league next season with an Instagram post on Wednesday detailing his feelings about the future.
"In both life and football, failure is inevitable," Brady wrote.
"You don't 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."
Brady and the Patriots were bounced from the playoffs last week by the Tennessee Titans, who sealed the 20-13 victory with a pick-six 6 of Brady by former teammate Logan Ryan.
After the game, Brady sounded like he wanted to continue his career, and he has often repeated his statement that he believes he can play until he's 45.
Whether he can extend his 20-year run with the Patriots is another story.
Brady is scheduled to be a free agent for the first time with a deadline of 17 March for the Patriots to put a new contract in place or allow Brady to enter the open market.
Owner Robert Kraft has stated that he "hopes and prays" Brady plays for the Patriots next season.
Head coach Bill Belichick said on Sunday in a season-ending press conference that he wasn't prepared to talk about the future, including Brady, only 12 hours after the playoff loss to the Titans.
Brady and Belichick have won six Super Bowls together.
"I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organisation that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way," he said.
"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. 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."
