New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, with five Super Bowl rings, made it clear — again — he has no plans to retire and wants to keep playing into his mid-40s.
After telling Peter King of MMQB.com that his record-setting performance in Super Bowl LI wasn’t his best game ever despite the historic 25-point rally over the Atlanta Falcons, the 39-year-old Brady believes he can maintain his level of play long past the age of any everyday quarterback in NFL history.
“I’d like to play until my mid-40s,” Brady told King during a two-hour interview on Sunday while in Montana on a family vacation.
 “Then I’ll make a decision. If I’m still feeling like I’m feeling today, who knows? Now, those things can always change. You do need long-term goals too. I know next year is not going to be my last year.”

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 Let the game of tag begin in the NFL. The window in which unrestricted free agents can be assigned the franchise tag by their current team officially opened, with a deadline of March 1 at 3:59pm ET. NFL teams also are permitted to utilize the transition tag within the same two-week period.
 Players given the franchise tag are permitted to negotiate with other clubs, unless the team uses the “exclusive” franchise tag.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ripped the NFL for threatening not to award future Super Bowls to Houston or Dallas if the state’s controversial bathroom bill is passed.
 Abbott, a Republican, told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that the NFL should stay out of politics.
 “The NFL is walking on thin ice right here,” Abbott said Tuesday on the show. “The NFL needs to concentrate on playing football and get the heck out of politics.”

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The Chicago Bears re-signed offensive lineman Eric Kush to a two-year contract.
Kush, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams after the 53-man roster cut downs just prior to the start of the 2016 season, adding depth to the Bears’ offensive line. He started a career-high four games out of eight contests with the Bears.