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- Tom Brady announced on Sunday that he’d be returning to the Bucs for a 23rd NFL season.
- Brady’s short-lived retirement lasted just 40 days.
- His father recently said in an interview that the media forced Brady into announcing his initial retirement.
After spending just 40 days as a retiree, seven-time Super Bowl winner and future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady announced that he would be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an astounding 23rd NFL season. Brady had previously announced his decision to retire on Tuesday, February 1.
In a recent interview on ESPN’s Greeny, Tom Brady’s father implied that media reports regarding his son’s retirement forced the QB’s hand into making a premature announcement.
“They were announcing his retirement before he even retired,” Tom Brady Sr. told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on his radio show. “You know, the media made the news. He was not ready to make any decision and didn’t make any decision, but [Adam] Schefter and [Jeff] Darlington stated it as fact. You know, he hadn’t made any decision on that.”
Brady Sr. then provided some further insight into how Tom and the rest of his family made their decision together:
“They all agreed that this is the path forward that works best for the Brady family,” Brady Sr. added. “He is happy as can be. … It just took a little bit of time to sort this thing out. I mean, he’s kind of in uncharted territory. So if people might seem to think he took a misstep, hey, welcome to our world. Not very many people get to make this decision at 44 years of age and going on 45.”
These latest comments from Brady Sr. are just the latest that suggests Brady’s initial retirement wasn’t what it seemed. According to Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin, Brady was actually planning on linking up with former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton prior to the Brian Flores lawsuit.
The Bucs certainly haven’t wasted any time capitalizing on Brady’s decision to return, as the team retained center Ryan Jensen and cornerback Carlton Davis, while also signing former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage.
Prior to Brady’s official return, the Tampa Bay Bucs — who won the Super Bowl during Brady’s first season with the team back in 2020 — were at +2500 odds to win the Super Bowl. Now they’re the third-favorite at +850.
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