The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will see veteran Baker Mayfield and youngster Kyle Trask compete to replace the retired Tom Brady at quarterback during training camp later this month.
Tampa added Mayfield to the mix after Brady opted to retire following the 2022 season. For some, there was a belief that Brady’s retirement would be short-lived like it was last year. That has not been the case.
But if we were to listen to one current Buccaneers player, there is still hope that the seven-time Super Bowl champion will come out of retirement and lead Tampa Bay this coming season.
“I’m sure we’re still reaching out to him (Tom Brady) trying to see if he’s trying to come back to the team. Hey, it could happen. Anything’s possible,” defensive back Antoine Winfield told Richard Sherman recently.
This seems to be a much-overplayed storyline right now. Brady, 45, has turned his attention to other things. That includes buying a stake in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and looking to become a minority owner for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. He seems content on retirement right now.
Even then, Brady’s indecision from last year and the fire he continued to show for the Buccaneers in 2022 will always leave the door open for a potential return. Despite some regression, the greatest of all-time continued to put up some solid numbers, too.
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Tom Brady stats (2022): 67% completion, 4,694 yards, 25 TD, 9 INT, 90.7 QB rating
There is no doubt Brady still believes he can play at a high level in the NFL. For one of the greatest players in league history, it just seemed to be the right time to step away from the game.
“I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first. I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year.”
Tom Brady retirement announcement from back in February
Even if Brady were to return, it likely wouldn’t be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was linked to the aforementioned Raiders throughout the early stages of the offseason. Given Jimmy Garoppolo’s current injury issues, this is something that could come up again.
Obviously, the Northern California native was linked to the San Francisco 49ers over the past couple years. While that’s a longshot with Brock Purdy doing his thing, you can never say never.
As for the Bucs, they will trot out either Mayfield or Trask Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. You can take that to the bank.