With the 2018 NFL season about to begin, we can’t help but wonder if this will be the last season that we see a number of big names. We’ve already heard from players like Marshawn Lynch and Larry Fitzgerald, who have indicated that this could be their final year in the NFL, but what about Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Ben Roethlisberger? The oddsmakers at BetDSI have posted some retirement props as to whether some of these big names will call it quits after this season:
2019 NFL Retirement Props
Tom Brady retires after 2018-19 season:
Yes +200
No -275
Bill Belichick retires after 2018-19 season:
Yes +300
No -450
Ben Roethlisberger retires after 2018-19 season:
Yes +200
No -275
Although Roethlisberger is the youngest of the group, it seems as if he’s the one closest to retirement. He’s talked about it two offseasons in a row now and seems to be inching closer. He’ll be 37 years old in March 2019. The Steelers also spent a third-round pick on a quarterback, which is a tad high to spend a draft pick if they were comfortable with the situation. After all, Roethlisberger is a Pro Bowler or near-Pro Bowler almost every year. They clearly have an eye toward the future. However, the odds still suggest that he’ll be back for at least one more year.
As for the Patriots duo, both are also expected back for their 2019 campaign. Belichick seems like a long shot to retire and the odds suggest that. However, the secretive head coach rarely shows his cards, so we don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s now 66 years old, so retirement is not far off for him. If the Patriots win another Super Bowl, it’s entirely possible both him and Brady ride off into the sunset but to this point, there has been no indication that he plans to step away.
And that brings us to Brady. He will be 42 years old at the start of the 2019 season, which is old for a quarterback. It’s old for a player of any position. However, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in terms of his performance. He’s fresh off a season where he threw for 4,577 yards, 32 touchdowns and just eight interceptions while posting a quarterback rating of 102.8. For comparison, we saw Peyton Manning really start to fade in his waning years to the point where he had to call it quits. With Brady, we haven’t seen that anything like that as he continues to deliver at a very high level. Considering the Patriots traded away Jimmy Garoppolo last season and don’t really have a backup plan outside of Brian Hoyer, it seems they are ready to ride with Brady until the wheels fall off. For now, there are no signs of wear and tear, so that’s why the odds suggest he’s a heavy favorite to return for the 2019 campaign.
