While Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has an idea on when Tom Brady should return to the team from his leave of absence, there is still no firm date for when he’ll be back in uniform and on the practice field.
Last week, the news came down from Buccaneers land that the 45-year-old NFL icon was given permission to take some time away from the team. Originally it was assumed it would be a short hiatus that mirrored one he took early in training camp. However, a week has passed and Brady is still not back at Buccaneers camp.
Related: Brady’s absence from Tampa Bay Buccaneers all about family time
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Brady’s time away was not due to health issues with a member of his family and that his break away from the rigors of practice in the summer was a pre-planned pause to get in some family time before the start of the season.
Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers return could come next week…maybe
Yet, if such things were plotted out in advance, it does seem a bit odd there is no set plan for his return. On Thursday, The Athletic’s Buccaneers beat writer Greg Auman reported the latest comments from head coach Todd Bowles on the situation. And it sure seems like the coach and team are about as unsure of when Brady will be back as fans are.
- Tom Brady stats (2021): 5.316 passing yards, 43 TD, 12 INT, 102.1 rating
“We’ll see. We’ll talk about it next week. I’m not concerned about it right now. We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee. There’s no definitive date for me. We’ll keep in touch and find out.”
todd bowles on tom brady’s hiatus
Should Buccaneers fans be worried?
Bucs fans shouldn’t be too worried about Brady just yet, but things are surely getting a bit weird. Of course, the organization wants to keep their superstar QB happy and healthy, but the “come back whenever you want” approach that seems to be going on is strange with the season just a few weeks away.
Brady doesn’t necessarily need preseason games to be a killer on the field come the regular season, but getting in some serious practice reps with his wideouts to build chemistry and hit the ground running in 2022 is still a necessity. The longer the man that temporarily retired from the sport earlier this year stays away, the more fans should start to get concerned.