Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said he's planning to play the 2021 NFL season without a sleeve on his left knee for the first time in 13 years.

Brady told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times in an interview released Saturday he used the sleeve for stability dating back to his time with the New England Patriots but no longer feels it's necessary after offseason surgery to repair a torn MCL he dealt without throughout last year. Still, don't mistake him as a serious running threat:

"It's good for me to feel like I can move around freely. I had a knee sleeve on for 13 years. Just that little bit of compression keeps a hamstring from working the right way. You try to compress the knee to keep it more stable, but then you're also compressing the quad. This is the first time that I've been able to run and not think about it. I'm not going to turn into Michael Vick out there but at least I'm not going to be super restricted."

The 44-year-old three-time NFL MVP guided the Bucs to a Super Bowl championship in his first year with the franchise after six titles across two decades with the Pats. His seven rings are the most by a player in league history.

While Brady has long pointed toward trying to play until he's 45, now that he's within one year of that goal and still playing at an elite level, he's not putting a timetable on his NFL career.

"Hopefully, I'll be here a long time," he told Stroud. "For many years."

Brady completed 65.7 percent of his throws for 4,633 yards with 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during the regular season last year. He added 10 TD throws during the team's playoff run.

The University of Michigan product has never been much of a running threat—his career high is 110 rushing yards compared to 1,039 for Vick, one of the most dynamic athletes in NFL history—but the future Hall of Famer has still made plays in short-yardage situations, including 25 rushing scores.

A little more mobility in the pocket can only help as he looks to extend his career as long as possible, which could include at least a few more postseason appearances with the Buccaneers, who return virtually every key player from last season's title squad.

Brady and Co. start their title defense Thursday night when they host the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium in the annual NFL Kickoff Game.