Tom Brady’s retirement announcement last week caught fans by surprise, mostly because they couldn’t envision a world without him after an unprecedented 22-year run, taking a hatchet to conventional aging norms by dominating well into his mid-40s. But, after all the social media tributes and retrospectives celebrating the career of a living legend, many were left with an inescapable feeling that when Brady said goodbye to the NFL, he really meant, “See you later.”
Many have expressed skepticism, including Brady himself, that he’ll stay retired, citing his unparalleled love of football and a competitive spirit that knows no bounds. Brady wouldn’t be the first or last athlete to have second thoughts about retirement. Brady’s teammate, Rob Gronkowski, clearly didn’t have the stomach for it, twiddling his thumbs for a year before inevitably returning to his NFL stomping grounds as a Super Bowl champion for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And while two decades of being hunted as prey by opposing defenses must have taken at least some toll on Brady physically, by adhering to his strict “TB12” diet and exhaustive workout regimen, the 44-year-old has made himself uniquely equipped to handle whatever punishment the NFL throws at him.
The Buccaneers are expected to retain Brady’s rights, meaning if the reigning Super Bowl MVP does stage a comeback, he’d have to either play for the Bucs or request a trade elsewhere. If Brady gets the itch to play again, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated thinks the latter scenario is most likely. “I think if Brady comes back, it’s with another team,” Breer expressed to NFL Network’s Rich Eisen. “I think Brady loves the guys he worked with. Loves Jason Licht, loves Bruce Arians, loves Byron Leftwich. I do think there were things that frustrated him there.”
Breer sees a variety of reasons why Brady would want to leave Tampa, from how the Bucs handled Antonio Brown’s departure to uncertainty surrounding his supporting cast with Leonard Fournette, Chris Godwin and Gronkowski all impending free agents. “There were things that, from in-game things to the handling of the Antonio Brown situation, that I think, over time, started to get to him a little bit,” said Breer. “I don’t think he goes back to Tampa because I think that team is going to look markedly different too, which is another piece of the puzzle. Now that Brady’s not there anymore, I think they’re going to retool some things.”
For someone who’s spent literally half his life in the NFL, adjusting to life after football may prove challenging for Brady, which could be why he’s keeping his options open. “I think Brady has been fearful of what this is going to be like. Because he’s such a competitive person and he’s had that competitive outlet for so long that he doesn’t know how he’s going to feel in three months. I think that’s why he leaves that door open,” said Breer. “If there’s a contender out there that he aligns with that has a quarterback injury, you could see it where that team calls Tampa and says, ‘Could we work something out where Tom could come here?’”
Whether Brady embraces his post-playing career remains to be seen, though as Cameron Jordan alluded to earlier this week, the GOAT won’t lack for interest if he pulls a Brett Favre.
Related
Related
LISTEN NOW on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram