‘Pretty unlikely’: Brady cools retirement talk despite Patriots’ playoff defeat to Titans signaling end of an era for NFL giants

Tom Brady says it is “pretty unlikely” he will call time on his gilded NFL career despite the New England Patriots suffering defeat to the Tennessee Titans in their wild-card round AFC playoff on Saturday night.

Defending Super Bowl champion the Patriots went down 20-13 to the Derrick Henry-inspired Titans at Gillette Stadium – the Patriots' earliest post-season exit since 2010.

For many the results signaled the end of a 20-year era which has yielded six Super Bowls and which has been based on the tandem of star quarterback Brady, 42, and coach Bill Belichick.

But despite his advancing years and finding himself a free agent in the offseason for the first time in his career, Brady said it was “pretty unlikely” we would call it quits in the wake of the defeat to the sixth-seed Titans.

"I love the Patriots. It's the greatest organization. Playing for Mr. [Robert] Kraft all these years, and for Coach Belichick, there's nobody who's had a better career, I would say, than me - just being with them. So I'm very blessed,” Brady said, via ESPN.

"I don't know what's going to happen. I'm not going to predict [the future]. No one needs to make choices at this point. I love playing football. I love playing for this team. I've loved playing for this team for two decades and winning a lot of games. I don't know what it looks like moving forward, so we'll just take it day to day."

But while he may not be retiring, speculation is already rife that Brady could move on from the Patriots and see out his career elsewhere, with the likes of the Oakland Raiders already being inserted into the frame.

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On Saturday night, running back Derrick Henry was the star for the Titans as he rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown, while Brady was largely stifled by the Titans’ defense.

The Patriots stared the season 8-0 but have since seen their form unravel spectacularly, culminating in Saturday night’s defeat – which many are taking as the end of a gilded two-decade era in which Brady and head coach Belichick have helped the team to 17 division titles and six Super Bowls.

© Getty Images / AFP

But the Patriots' loss was succor for rival fans who have grown so used to their dominance, and offered a rare chance to rejoice at their misfortune.

End of an era or not, one thing's for sure – the Patriots are out of the Super Bowl picture this season.