Rumors have swirled about the state of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's marriage since the future Hall of Famer took an 11-day, purportedly pre-planned hiatus from Buccaneers camp last month.
Now, a new report has shed additional light on the apparently rocky situation between the seven-time Super Bowl winner and his supermodel bride.
According to PEOPLE, citing an unnamed source who is "close to" Brady, the former Patriot turned Buccaneers quarterback "will have to retire permanently" if he wants to continue his marriage to Bundchen.
The article says Brady's permanent retirement is necessary to "smooth over any issues" from his short-lived retirement last offseason, which has been previously reported to be a contentious issue in their marriage.
In a recent interview with ELLE, Bundchen conceded she would like Brady to "be more present" while she handles the lion's share of raising their two children. Brady also has a teenage son with former girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.
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Brady's abrupt departure from Bucs camp was later reported to have included a family vacation to the Bahamas, which was apparently planned during his retirement.
Then, earlier this month, Page Six reported that Gisele had left Brady and their children at the family compound in Tampa for Costa Rica "following a series of heated arguments."
Upon returning to Buccaneers camp last month, Brady said the reason for his absence was "personal" and that there was "a lot of shit going on."
This week, following the Bucs' win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Brady admitted on his podcast that he had bumps and bruises from the game and acknowledged he wasn't sure how much longer he could go on playing. He said he'd take things "day by day."
Meanwhile the source told PEOPLE that Brady's first retirement was a joint decision with Gisele, but he decided on his own that he was returning.
"She doesn't hate that he's playing football, but she sure hates the way he handled the retirement and coming back," a source tells PEOPLE. "He knows that, and he's doing what he can do to smooth things over. He does know that this is his last season if he wants to stay married."
"He can't do this again," the source adds.
Brady's return to the Buccaneers for a 23rd season in the NFL does not seem to have been Plan A. He was apparently plotting to join the Miami Dolphins, potentially as both a part-owner and player, along with former Saints head coach Sean Payton.
Instead, Brady abruptly announced his retirement on Feb. 1 -- the same day former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a bombshell class-action lawsuit against the NFL and several teams for alleged racial discrimination over his firing by Miami and the subsequent interview processes with other teams for job openings.
In his lawsuit, Flores claimed, among other things, that he was sidelined and ultimately fired by the Dolphins for his refusal to meet with Brady in 2019 regarding Brady's potential move to the Dolphins.
The meeting, staged by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, was a violation of league tampering rules because Brady was still under contract with the Patriots. The Dolphins and Ross were later punished by the league for tampering with Brady on three occasions from 2019-22.
Shortly after Brady's return to the Bucs, head coach Bruce Arians stepped down in favor of then-defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Brady and Arians appeared to clash a number of times, including when Arians publicly blamed Brady for poor in-game decision-making.
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