Tom Brady has a message for NFL players who prefer to watch preseason from the sidelines: they should get into the game. Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, criticized the growing trend of established players skipping exhibition games. This response came after a fan shared a video of Brady playing extensively in a 2010 New England Patriots preseason game.

At Fanatics Fest NYC 2026, held at Jacob Javits Center in New York on July 16, Brady reposted the video to his Instagram Story and expressed his perspective clearly. He wrote, “Preseason… Regular season… I never wanted to be taken off the field. Practice makes perfect. Too many people looking for easy ways out these days.”

The highlighted clip was from an August 26, 2010, preseason matchup against the St. Louis Rams. In that game, Brady played well into the fourth quarter, completing 18 of 22 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, resulting in a perfect 158.0 passer rating. One of his touchdowns included a 65-yard pass to Randy Moss.

During the 2010 preseason, Brady’s position on the team was secure, with three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVP awards already under his belt. Despite this, he continued to put in rigorous work on the field.

While there’s a strong rationale for resting star players during preseason to avoid injuries, especially with the current 17-game regular season, Brady remains unfazed by this argument. He insists, “When you’re a football player, and it’s football season, your job is to play football.”

Brady’s stance might sound like a classic retort from a retired athlete urging the younger generation to work harder. Yet his own career, marked by seven Super Bowl victories, underscores his point. Whether dismissed as “kids these days” sentiment or not, Brady’s accomplishments lend weight to his opinion.