Tom Brady isn't the only quarterback who intends to play into his mid-40s.
The Seahawks' Russell Wilson already has seven seasons in the NFL under his belt, but after signing a lucrative four-year contract extension to become the league's highest-paid player earlier this offseason, the 30-year-old is excited to turn his attention to the future.
"Seven years has gone by so fast," Wilson told NFL Media on Monday. "You think about just turning 30 years and what I have for the rest of my career — for the next 10-15 years — I'm just fired up about it. You think about some of the best quarterbacks of all time, guys like Drew (Brees), guys like Tom (Brady), who (are playing into their 40s). I really look up to those guys. There's so much more to do."
When asked if that meant he wanted to play until he was 45, Wilson replied with a smile.
“Yeah, yeah,” Wilson said. “That’s the goal. I’m just fired up for it.”
Despite earning six Pro-Bowl selections, two Super Bowl starts and one championship since being selected out of Wisconsin by Seattle in 2012, Wilson doesn't believe he's reached his prime yet.
"It's kinda like, 'OK, boom, now it's time to take off' — and that's really where I want to go," Wilson said. "I guess what I mean is, I feel like I'm just getting started."
Barring any significant setbacks or injuries, which he has managed to avoid so far, Wilson is primed to spend the rest of his career with the Seahawks.
"I wanted to be in Seattle," Wilson said in April. "It’s just because really from the beginning of my professional career, it started here and my goal was to end it here. My goal is to have a lasting impression on this city, to be able to make a lot of people’s lives (better) — to cheer at the top of their lungs at football games and hopefully win a lot of Super Bowls.
"When it came down to it, it was a no brainer for me to want to be in Seattle and I want to be a Seahawk for life. That was kind of my mentality."
Wilson has guided the Seahawks to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, averaging 28 touchdown passes and posting a career passer rating of 100.3 in that time.