Kraft: 'My hope and prayer' is Brady plays for Patriots or retires

The last thing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wants to see is franchise quarterback Tom Brady playing for another team.

But with the 42-year-old scheduled to become a free agent in March, the scenario is as possible as it's ever been.

"My hope and prayer is number one, he plays for the Patriots. Or number two, he retires," Kraft told Peter King of NBC Sports before Saturday's wild-card loss to the Tennessee Titans. "He has the freedom to decide what he wants to do and what's in his own best personal interest."

Kraft said Brady wished for his contract with the Patriots to expire after the end of this season so he could "be free to do whatever he wanted at the end of the year." And after New England was eliminated from the postseason on the weekend, Brady said it's "unlikely" he'll retire.

At this point, Brady will likely play in 2020, and like legendary quarterbacks before him, such as Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Brett Favre, he may end his career wearing a new uniform.

"I'm thinking of all that, of all the quarterbacks who went elsewhere, and I just hope and believe that Tom ... he is so special that he's earned the right to do what's best for him. ... But I just hope and pray we fit into his plans," Kraft said.