Tom Brady's "retirement" lasted a little over a month. Brady announced on his social media channels Sunday night that he will be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 season, his 23rd in the NFL.
There had been plenty of speculation that a move like this could be coming, as Brady repeatedly left the door open for a return and never seemed to be fully committed to retirement. In his posts on Feb. 1 announcing he was done playing, he didn't even actually use the word "retire."
"These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady wrote. "That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG"
This will be Brady's third season with the Bucs. He won the Super Bowl -- the seventh of his career -- in his first season there in 2020. Tampa went 13-4 this past season before losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Rams in the NFC divisional round.
Brady spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, leading the franchise to six Super Bowls.