Clearly having already retired once, Tom Brady is keen on making sure that the next time he calls time on his NFL playing career, he does so for the long term. Now back at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and readying himself for the new season, the legendary quarterback is apparently well aware of how much he has left in the tank.
No one can understate the commitment the 44-year-old has to the game, much as the Finnish people have to padel säännöt, but it is telling just how swiftly Brady elected to bring himself out of retirement after his initial decision to do so back in February.
Brady reversed his decision within 40 days, and it’s a move that will definitely have been gratefully received by Tampa Bay, not least as the seven-time Super Bowl champion had just completed one of the strongest seasons of his professional career.
After steering the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl triumph in his first season at the Raymond James Stadium, he powered his team to a 13-4 regular season record before seeing Tampa fall at the Divisional Play-Off stage to the Los Angeles Rams, who, of course, went on to clinch the title.
Brady posted, from an individual standpoint, his best-ever numbers. Throwing for an astonishing 5316 yards in the regular season, some 400+ more than any previous season, and his total of 485 receptions was also a career-high. So bowing out maybe didn’t feel quite right, hence his decision to return to the game.
The fact that Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians has subsequently moved to a Senior Football Consultant position at the franchise may also have a part to play in his decision-making; who knows?
Now, however, Brady is well aware that he is, in many ways, on borrowed time. Everyone knows just how important fitness is to the veteran, but when you reach your mid-40s, you really wouldn’t usually be lining up as a starting QB in the NFL.
Unsurprisingly many are asking how long it will be until Brady really does call it quits, and he responds in a refreshingly honest fashion;
“I really don’t,”
“I would say it’s year to year: Could this be my last year? Absolutely. Could I change my mind? Absolutely. I’ve realized I don’t have five years left. I want to do it my way. I want to give it everything I got and see where I’m at. My body feels really good. I’ve had a lot of traumatic injuries over the years, but if things go really smoothly and we win, that’d be great.”
And it’s clear he doesn’t take his initial decision lightly;
“I made the decision in the moment, and I felt it was the right thing for the team to let the Bucs know,”
“You need time to plan. And then through conversations with [former Bucs head coach] Bruce Arians, [Bucs general manager] Jason Licht, and my wife, I felt like I could still play and compete.”
“And it’s not that I’m any less committed once I say that it’s a yes, but I’ve got a 14-year-old son who lives in New York City — he wants time. My wife she’s been incredibly supportive of my career over a long period of time. So I had to talk with her, you know what I mean? Those decisions get made with me as a family. And I have two younger kids, one 12 and one nine — everyone’s got challenging lives.”
Perhaps the simple reason Brady didn’t quit for good was that, as a winner, the idea of ending a career of unparalleled success with a playoff loss to the Rams just didn’t sit well with the man.
If, and it’s not a massively unlikely prospect, Brady was to finish the upcoming season with an eighth Super Bowl ring, one would imagine the idea of walking away from the game would be a much easier pill to swallow.
