Those close to Brady, and those on the team, are making a clear effort to enjoy and appreciate every game, recognizing that any one of them could be their last.
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grapple with the reality that their season is at most three weeks away from its conclusion, there is another reality that lingers in the organization: the possibility of Tom Brady’s retirement.
Bucs sources close to Brady acknowledge that the star quarterback is not committing to play beyond this season. Although Brady could decide to return (he has talked about playing until he is 45 years old, and even more), it is far from a given, sources told the outlet. ESPN.
Brady’s departure is an issue that has quietly surfaced within the Tampa Bay organization for weeks, and there has been internal uncertainty about what the future holds for the seven-time Super Bowl champion and NBA all-time passing leader. NFL.
Brady, 44, plans to take some time after the season ends, a month or more, to assess how he feels physically and mentally. while measuring the wishes of his family, the informants added to ESPN.
For Brady, who has one year left on his contract, the decision is likely to come down to how Tampa Bay ends this season and how the three-time league MVP feels when it’s done. Some believe that if the Buccaneers repeat as Super Bowl champions, it would increase the likelihood of Brady walking away from football.
However, nothing about the decision has been determined. Brady knows he’ll soon face questions about it, but he doesn’t want anything to distract him from his daily quest for another Super Bowl title, either.
ESPN has learned that Brady is happy in Tampa and the Bucs are equally happy. Tampa Bay coaches and executives are unanimous in their desire to move forward with Brady beyond this season, something they plan to pass on to him when he’s done.
The Bucs would be willing to go to great lengths to lure Brady in, if that’s what he ultimately decides to do.
At times this season, Brady has felt committed to returning in 2022 regardless of the outcome, simply because he feels he owes it to an organization that doesn’t have a clear quarterback succession plan, sources said. But with 2021 nearing the end of him, Brady now plans to enter the offseason very open about his future.
Tampa Bay’s current backup quarterbacks are Blaine Gabbert and 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask.
This NFL divisional round testifies to the longevity of Brady’s career: He is older than the head coaches of the other three teams that entered the NFC divisional round of playoffs (Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur is 42, Kyle Shanahan of San Francisco is 42 and Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is 35).
Those close to Brady, and those on the team, are clearly making an effort to enjoy and appreciate each game, recognizing that any one of them could be their last.
Despite injuries and suspensions to several of the Bucs’ key offensive players this year, Brady appeared in all 17 games this season and he led the league with a career-high 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes.
We want to thank the writer of this post for this remarkable web content
Tom Brady will take some time before deciding to return for the 2022 season with Buccaneers