Those freaking out over Tom Brady and his absence from Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp over the past 10 days can now officially turn their attention to something else.
In speaking with the media on Sunday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Brady will return from his absence early next week. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport notes that he’ll head back to Bucs camp on Monday.
Thus ends a dramatic week-plus experience in the conspiracy game on the deep reaches of the webs. That includes some believing that the seven-time Super Bowl champion took a leave so that he can appear on The Masked Singer. About that? It’s something that actually took over on social media.
As it stands, the Buccaneers have made it clear all along that Brady was taking the leave to spend some time with his family as the all-time great returns for his 23rd season after retiring for about 82.5 seconds early this past offseason.
“He’s going to deal with some personal things. This is something we talked about before training camp started. We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp.”
Todd Bowles on Tom Brady earlier in training camp
Related: Tom Brady and NFL’s top QBs of 2022
Tom Brady situation was always blown out of proportion
Once Brady committed to a third season with the Buccaneers, they set into motion adding veterans to the mix as a way to compete for their second Super Bowl with GOAT under center.
In turn, veterans were obviously working under the belief that Brady wouldn’t up and retire after they decided to join him in Tampa. This list includes the likes of former Pro Bowlers Julio Jones, Kyle Rudolph and Akiem Hicks. Brady was never going to leave them hanging.
- Tom Brady stats (2020-21): 67% completion, 9,949 yards, 83 TD, 24 INT, 102.1 QB rating
As you can see, Brady is still playing at a high level as he enters his Age-45 season. In no way does this mean that he’s solely focused on football. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer knows full well that his family has sacrificed during his lengthy career and wants to find a way to create a happy medium between football and his personal life.
“It’s very challenging when you’re 43 or 44 because there are a lot of other things that are pressing and a lot of other things that are really important in your life, like your kids and your wife and different relationships. Things have always taken a back seat to football. That’s just how it has gone for me. I have a very tricky, complex life in different aspects and I’m just trying to navigate it the best way I can.”
Tom Brady on return to the field earliers this year
Brady and his Buccaneers will open up the 2022 regular season Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.” He’ll be ready to go.