Is Tom Brady ready to call it a career?
Tom Brady had pulled off playoff miracles before, and he nearly did it again for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The second-half effort was enough to erase a 27-3 deficit, but Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams answered to snatch the game back and advance to the NFC title game.
That loss denied Brady’s quest for Super Bowl No. 8 and back-toback titles with the Buccaneers.
Will Brady be back for the 2022 season? Or has the GOAT played his final NFL game?
Brady says he hasn’t thought about future
Brady’s focus had been on the playoffs, he said after the loss to the Rams.
“Truthfully, guys, I’m thinking about this game. I’m not thinking about past five minutes from now,” Brady said, via the Associated Press. “So, you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at.”
In response to a question about whether he thought during the game it might be his final contest, he replied:
“No, I was thinking about winning. That’s kind of my mentality, always to go out there are try to win. Give my team the best chance to win.”
Brady feels ‘great’
Brady famously takes his physical health seriously, so even at age 44, his body can withstand the rigors of a full NFL campaign.
“I feel great,” Brady said. “Physically, I feel great.”
The decision about his future may not hinge on his health. Brady will turn 45 next season.
What has he said in the past about retirement?
Brady told ESPN in 2017 he wanted to play until his mid-40s.
“I’ve always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach and that was my goal,” Brady told USA TODAY Sports in June. “This year I’ll be 44, so next year I’ll be 45. I got a two-year contract.”
Bucs GM Jason Licht said in May 2021 Brady could play until he was 50 if he wanted to.
“50? That’s a long time,” the quarterback replied. “Even for me, that’s a long time.”
What will impact the decision?
As Brady’s former Patriots teammate Rob Ninkovich pointed out on ESPN’s “Get Up” last week, Brady does not have anything left to prove on the football field.
His seven Super Bowls are a record. But past accomplishments likely won’t be a good enough reason for Brady to hang up the cleats.
As his children get older, there will be family considerations. He has burgeoning business endeavors in apparel (the Brady line partnered with college athletes through new name, image and likeness rules), cryptocurrency and the media space – his production company helped air a 10part documentary about his Super Bowl seasons on ESPN+.
What is his contract?
Brady initially signed a twoyear, $50 million deal with the Buccaneers in March 2020. He signed a one-year extension after last season, with $15 million of the $20 million signing bonus deferred to 2022, according to Spotrac.
If Brady retires this offseason, the Bucs will recoup $16 million of the signing bonus.
What did Bruce Arians say?
The Buccaneers head coach told the Tampa Bay Times last week he would be “shocked” if Brady didn’t come back for the 2022 season.
After the game, Arians said the decision will be entirely up to Brady. The coach then added he wasn’t sure if his quarterback would return.