Hall of Fame running back impressed by Tom Brady's longevity

In an interview with Reuters, Emmitt Smith empathized with Tom Brady's decision to unretire and continue his career.

Since his announcement that he was returning for his 23rd season, Tom Brady has been the topic of conversation on many media outlets.

In a Reuters interview with Hall of Fame running back and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith, Smith feels the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller still has the elite traits that have made him arguably the best football player of all time.

READ MORE: Is Bucs Roster Ready for Another Super Bowl Run?

“It's kind of hard to walk away when you are that elite. He is taking care of his body, his mind. He's still sharp, still throws the ball well, still has arm strength," Smith told Reuters.

“(He has) a lot of things that a lot of young quarterbacks don't have these days," said Smith.

"So yeah, it's kind of hard to walk away from the game when you've been involved with this business a long time."

While quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow are the next ones up, Brady was having an MVP caliber season last year before the injury bug derailed the high-scoring Bucs offense.

Smith is one of the former greats that saw a decline in play the longer his career went. It’s an interesting point to hear how he identifies that Brady’s play is still amongst the upper echelon of NFL quarterback play.

READ MORE: Which Quarterbacks Are Attending Voluntary Workouts?

With just about the entire offense returning for the 2022 season, and Brady still playing well, we will see if the Bucs can contend again this fall for a Super Bowl trophy.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook