One thing that’s been a topic of discussion this entire offseason has been the longevity of Tom Brady’s career. The Super Bowl LI MVP has been quoted saying he feels like he can play another five to seven years at the level he is playing now, but many fans think that he should just quit while he’s ahead.

Looking at it from a numbers standpoint, the guy is officially the greatest quarterback of all time – trust me I’m not happy to say that. He has five rings and is the all-time leader in wins (regular season and playoffs combined), playoff wins, and is on the cusp of breaking a slew of other records. So, if you think about it that way then maybe he should stay in order to break as many records as he can.

But that’s really the only reason for him to stay. Brady’s legacy is already cemented as being the greatest of all time, if not one of the greatest. And there’s a whole bunch of other reasons for him to retire. For example, the young upstart QB warming the bench behind him, Jimmy Garoppolo; the kid has a lot of talent and he’s proved that he is a capable starter. Maybe it’s time for Garoppolo to take the reigns of the Patriots, but maybe that’s just me (and a whole bunch of other people). Another thing is, what could he possibly gain from staying in the league for another five years – other than a bunch of records. It’s not like he’s going to win another MVP award with so many up and coming stars like; Ezekiel Elliot, Dak Prescott, Matt Ryan is working his way back to tip-top shape, Cam Newton is still a good QB and an even better athlete, Todd Gurley, and we’ve seen flashes of how good Carson Wentz can be given the right tools.

Also, it may not be right to ever discount the Patriots from the playoffs, but who knows if they can stay healthy enough and find the right pieces to build another Super Bowl caliber team. From the looks of this offseason, there are going to be a lot of teams to look out for in this coming season. Teams like the Eagles, Buccaneers, Vikings, Raiders, and Cowboys all look like they have a shot at the Super Bowl. Now I know all, but one are NFC teams that’s the point though. They all get a shot at Brady’s Patriotss if they make it. I’m not questioning if Brady can lead the Patriots to another Super Bowl. I’m questioning the Patriots ability – and willingness – to build around Brady. Eventually, Mr. Kraft is going to want to put an end to the Brady era in Foxboro.

There is an upside to Brady not retiring, however. The Patriots don’t have to go into a pseudo-rebuild. With Brady around they already have a well-established QB and someone who can run the offense on his own. If Brady were to call it quits they’d lose that and his veteran moxie. Not to mention his incredible relationship with Bill Belichick, but those are definitely minor details.

It’s not just about the Patriots though, even though some people like to think it is, it’s also about the image of the NFL. Maybe it’s time to find a new face of the league. Ever since the Patriots went on their dynasty run, Tom Brady has been the face of both the NFL and the Patriots. I don’t mind him being the face of the Patriots, but the face of the NFL is a different story. He may not be the sole “face of the franchise” when it comes to the NFL; players like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Cam Newton, JJ Watt and even fellow Patriot Rob Gronkowski have all shared the load as the face of the NFL. But just stop and think for a second about the faces of the league as a family and who’s the kingpin sitting at the head of the table? You guessed it Tom Brady. If anything happens with Tom Brady it’s automatic news and everyone hears about it immediately, but what about some of the more tragic stories in the NFL that get overlooked.

In my opinion, and I’m not just saying this as a Jets fan and an eternal Patriots hater, Tom Brady should hang up the turf shoes. There isn’t anything left for him to do, and no one would want to see him go through what Brett Favre went through late in his career.