As we approach the final stretch of the regular season, with each team having just two games left to play, many are wondering if we’re witnessing the final games of Tom Brady‘s historic football career.
If so, no matter how this regular season ends, or even if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinch the NFC South, which seems likely, they’re still heavy underdogs heading into the postseason. Meaning, the Bucs are essentially an afterthought in comparison to the ‘true contenders’ in the NFL, such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.
But no matter how the final game(s) of his career goes, Brady’s 23-year career will be far from an afterthought. He will always be remembered as the GOAT until someone can somehow put more than seven rings on their finger.
Yet, there’s a stronger sense that Brady isn’t ready to hang up his cleats with his tail between his legs in shame. He wants to go out with some glory, not backing into a playoff spot as a team battling back to .500. That’s not the TB12 we know.
But it won’t prevent the Brady retirement talk from popping up during the broadcast of each game he plays in 2022, with everyone wanting to know if the 45-year-old QB will walk away from the game this offseason as he becomes an unrestricted free agent for just the second time in his career.
Related: Rob Gronkowski not returning in 2022, could team up with Tom Brady elsewhere in 2023
Tom Brady discusses retirement with local Bucs insider
Since it’s a popular topic, and likely one he absolutely hates addressing, more retirement talk came up during Brady’s appearance on the Let’s Go! podcast on Sirius XM with Jim Gray.
First up was the question of whether Brady would ever tease us again by retiring, and then unretiring 40 days later as he did this past offseason.
“Well, I think next time I decide to retire, that’s it for me. So whenever that day comes, we’ll figure it out.”
Tom Brady on retirement (H/T to JoeBucsFan)
Brady went on to state that he doesn’t even think about retirement mid-season, preferring to stay focused on the task at hand. It’s a typical and expected answer from the ever-so-competitive Brady, but he wasn’t done discussing a potential retirement.
“You know, I think what I really realized last year was you gotta be really sure to do that. And for me, you know, a lot of people have kind of gone through this situation. I’m going to take my time whenever that time does come.”
Brady continues on thoughts of retirement
Brady doesn’t exactly sound like someone on the verge of walking away from the game he loves, even if he has an enticing post-playing gig lined up with FOX Sports as an NFL broadcaster. But then again, he also tries to suggest that any thoughts of retirement don’t come across his mind mid-season, which, if that’s true, this man has the ability to focus on his goals like no other.
In the end, Brady accomplished the feat of saying something without really saying anything at all. It’s a Bill Belichick special that he likely learned from spending 20 seasons in New England, which means we’ll probably all have to wait until free agency to discover what Brady’s future plans are.
Related: Rob Gronkowski not returning in 2022, could team up with Tom Brady elsewhere in 2023