Tom Brady won’t make another Super Bowl appearance this season after he and the Buccaneers practically crawled to the finish line in a 31-14 loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. The loss was the second-most in Brady’s 23-year career as an NFL quarterback and marked just the fourth time the longtime Patriots star has gone unchallenged in the tournament. Now what?
Brady, 45, was predictably noncommittal about his plans after Monday’s loss, telling reporters he was “going to take it day by day, really.” But what are its real capabilities? What is the most likely outcome for the seemingly ageless signal caller? And if he does somehow return to a team other than the Bucs, what are the top landing spots?
Here it is in a nutshell:
Will Tom Brady retire?
Perhaps. But probably not. ESPN’s Joe Buck said on Monday’s postgame show that “people around the league believe” Brady will return for a 24th season in 2023, but also suggested that Brady himself doesn’t know his plans. It sounds eerily similar to last offseason, when the QB flirted with retirement, then officially called it quits, only to return less than two months later. As Buck and Troy Aikman note, the reality is that if Brady has made it this far, he probably has enough love for the game to keep going.
What will Brady do if he retires?
That we know. Last May, months after his sudden return from “retirement,” Brady reportedly inked a record 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to become the network’s lead analyst for NFL broadcasts after he’s done playing.
What if he decides to come back?
Then the NFL will probably be better for him. Decline or not, Brady remains an anomaly in the sport – and in sports in general – and proved even in a down year that few are as capable of producing incredible heroics at a critical time. However, his contract with the Buccaneers expires in March, meaning he is set to hit free agency for the second time in his career as of 2020.
Could he return to the Buccaneers?
Yes, but it seems unlikely to me. Brady has a documented affinity for team management, most notably the Glazer family, which owns the franchise and helped lure him away from New England in 2020. Life in sunny Tampa, Fla., is probably nicer than in many NFL cities at this stage in his career. And he has a brief but important legacy as a Buccaneer, instantly correcting an era of team irrelevance by winning it all in his MVP-caliber debut season. However, the 2022 Bucs were a different animal: with Todd Bowles replacing Bruce Arians as head coach, injuries decimating an aging roster, and uninspired efforts from both the staff and supporting cast, Brady sank to uncharacteristic sloppy bottoms during his first career losing season as a starter. Aside from the fact that he also went through a high-profile divorce while returning to the team this year, Brady was reportedly entertaining a potential separation after the 2021 season, perhaps when it became clear the Bucs were headed for an inevitable restructuring.
If he doesn’t come back to Tampa, then where will he go?
This is the million dollar question! Here’s our educated guess on the most logical landing spots for Brady should he decide to play at least one more season and hit the open market, just like he did for the first time in 20 years with the Patriots:
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