Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has shed additional light on Tom Brady's bizarre short-lived retirement this offseason.
According to Licht, Brady signaled his interest in ending his retirement on Feb. 13 -- Super Bowl Sunday -- just 12 days after he had announced he was stepping away on Feb. 1.
"The first time I got an inkling that this might not be a 'forever' retirement was some texts sent to me during the Super Bowl, and you could just feel that the fire was still there, that he wishes he was playing in that game," Licht said on The Dave Pasch Podcast on Monday. "And he always feels like he can beat any team. So I could just feel the fire, and that's when I told Blair, my wife, I said -- 'I don't think this is over.'"
Brady's short-lived retirement lasted just 40 days. The 45-year-old, seven-time Super Bowl winner announced on social media on March 13 that he would be returning to the Buccaneers for a 23rd season in the NFL.
The timing of Brady's retirement and subsequent return has prompted speculation about his intentions. It was later revealed that Brady and former Saints head coach Sean Payton held discussions with the Miami Dolphins about joining the organization, with a possible dual role for Brady as both a part-owner and quarterback in what would have been a first in league history.
Instead, the plan never came to fruition, perhaps because of the explosive racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. The Dolphins were later fined and docked draft picks for tampering, and team owner Stephen Ross was handed a suspension lasting through the first six games of the 2022 regular season.
With his apparent Dolphins plan foiled, Brady was seemingly out of options in terms of continuing his career elsewhere. He returned to Tampa and was widely believed to have had a hand in forcing out former head coach Bruce Arians, who stepped down in favor of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles soon after Brady's comeback. Brady and Arians were widely reported to not have seen eye-to-eye throughout their time together.
Meanwhile, Brady was back at Bucs practice on Monday, following a mysterious, excused 11-day absence from camp.
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