The New England Patriots were one of the most dominant teams in the NFL for quite a long time throughout the 2010s with all-time great quarterback Tom Brady teamed up with legendary head coach Bill Belichick. But according to prominent throwing coach Tom House, a few of the six Super Bowl rings the two won together nearly didn’t happen because Belichick considered trading Brady.

In an interview with Rich Eisen, House revealed that Belichick once asked him why he shouldn’t trade Brady, and he convinced the head coach that Brady could still be productive into his 40s.

“Walking by Belichick’s office one time when we had been on the field throwing the football, Belichick called us in and said ‘okay tell me why I shouldn’t trade Tom Brady.’ At this time, I think Brady was 37, 36. I said ‘Well Bill, the research shows that if Tom does the things he’s supposed to do … there’s no reason he shouldn’t play until he’s 45. And here we are.”

Obviously, House was right. Brady has won four more Super Bowl rings since that conversation with Belichick, three with the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And House played a big role in changing the perception of older quarterbacks in the league.

“In my generation, you were done as a pitcher at age 32 or 33. We proved that wasn’t true,” House said. “The carryover was that when we got into football … there were only two quarterbacks that were even productive into their 40s. And so we just took what we learned in baseball and put it in front of the quarterbacks.”

The NFL world is certainly glad for House’s effort.

[Rich Eisen Show]