Tom Brady made waves at the end of the 2022 NFL season when he announced his retirement, only to reverse course and reveal that he was returning to the Buccaneers for another year. Now with that year almost at an end, the football world is anxiously awaiting to see what the seven-time Super Bowl champion will decide to do this upcoming offseason.
In the latest edition of his weekly Let’s Go! podcast with sportscaster Jim Gray, Brady was asked jokingly if he would retire and unretire once again if his longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski decided to come out of retirement for a second time.
“Well, I think next time I decide to retire, that’s it for me,” Brady said while laughing. “So whenever that day comes, we’ll figure it out.”
Gray then followed up more seriously, asking Brady whether he could seriously contemplate retiring while in the middle of his 23rd NFL season.
“I really don’t,” the 45-year-old quarterback replied. “I think what I really realized … was you’ve got to 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’s return to Tampa Bay in 2022 hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. The Bucs have struggled to match the success of the previous two seasons under the leadership of the seven-time Super Bowl champ, but still find themselves atop the NFC South at 7–8 with two games remaining.
As for Brady, his 23rd season doesn’t match up statistically with some of his great past years. Still, through 15 games he’s racked up 4,178 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and just nine interceptions, while completing 66% of his passes.
After an overtime win over the Cardinals on Christmas Day, the Buccaneers will look to keep the momentum rolling against the 6–9 Panthers on New Year’s Day.
