Tom Brady may not feel the love from the Patriots, but he confirmed he plans to play in 2018.

Brady side-stepped a question asking if he feels appreciated by Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft while speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on Monday.

Tom Brady, shown in a 2015 file photo, reiterated Monday he hopes to play into his mid-40s. "It's a great challenge for me," he said. "I think I've been challenged my whole life. I feel like I can do it." (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

“”I plead the fifth!” Brady joked.

Brady refused to go into detail whether or not he believes he feels appreciated by Belichick and Kraft, instead talking around the question.

“Man, that is a tough question,” Brady continued, per ESPN. “I think everybody in general wants to be appreciated more in their professional life, but there’s a lot of people that appreciate me way more than I ever thought was possible as part of my life. You have different influences in your life and the people I work with, they’re trying to get the best out of me. So they’re trying to treat me in the way they feel is going to get the best out of me, and I’ve got to get the best out of myself.”

Brady also cleared the air amid rumors he was contemplating retirement this offseason, confirming he plans to play for the Patriots this coming season.

Brady, who turns 41 in August, has yet to report to the Patriots’ voluntary workouts. However, he not only confirmed he plans to play this upcoming 2018 season, but reiterated his desire to play into his mid-40s.

“I have personal goals. I want to keep playing. I’ve said for a long time I want to play to my mid-40s,” Brady said in an interview his Jim Gray. “I was told three years, when I was 36-37, ‘You can’t keep playing; no one wins Super Bowls (at that age).’ It’s a great challenge for me. I think I’ve been challenged my whole life. I feel like I can do it.”

ESPN previously reported two weeks ago Brady had yet to commit to playing in 2018, leading to some close to him saying they could not say for certain Brady would return to the team.

Brady said one of the major reasons why he has stayed away from the Patriots’ facility this offseason was so that he could spend more time with his family.

“Football is year-round for me. It’s a lot of thought, a lot of energy and emotion put into it, but I need to invest in them, too,” Brady said. “My kids are 10, 8 and 5. They’re not getting younger, so I need to take time so I can be available to them, too. … I’ve really spent the last two or three months doing those things, and I think I’m really trying to fill my tank up so that when I do go back, I can go back and I think I’ll actually be, in my mind, a better player, a better teammate, because I’ll be really rejuvenated.”

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