It did not take long for Tom Brady to react to rumors this time, especially once it involved a former teammate.
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback shot down the idea of playing again in recent interview with Sports Illustrated. Brady, amid pending part ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders, had been rumored to come back to replace injured former Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I’m certain I’m not playing again,” Brady told Sports Illustrated’s Robin Lundberg. “So, I’ve tried to make that clear. And I hate to continue to profess that ’cause I’ve already told people that lots of times. But I’m looking forward to my broadcasting job at FOX next year. I’m looking forward to the opportunity ahead with the Raiders, and we’re in the process of that.”
Tom Brady is not coming back, from Tom Brady
Tom Brady ‘Looks a Little Bored’ Only a Joke
Former English soccer great and friend of Brady’s, David Beckham, stirred the pot nationally when he joked publicly about Brady’s apparent demeanor in a photo on social media.
“Tom looks a little bored to be honest,” Beckham wrote on social media.
Beckham’s comment came in reaction to a photo on social media of Brady and entrepreneur David Grutman on a yacht in Sardinia, Italy. Former NHL player Tie Domi echoed Beckham’s take on the photo in a comment.
Brady previously commented on the photo that he’s “ready for my hospitality internship” followed by laughing emojis. The seven-time Super Bowl champion retired on February 1 after a 23-year NFL career, and had called it “for good” on Instagram.
However, Brady retired once in February 2022 and came back to the Bucs a month later in March 2022. That notably came amid an part ownership attempt with the Miami Dolphins that fell through due to illegal tampering when Brady last played for the Patriots in 2019.
This time around, Brady established part ownership of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces first, which Raiders owner Mark Davis also owns. While the Raiders have confirmed Brady’s agreement on part ownership, at least 24 owners will need to sign off on the deal.
Brady also has a 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX waiting in the wings for 2024, and that hasn’t been negated by Brady’s pending part ownership with the Raiders.
Raiders QB Problems Stoked Tom Brady Comeback Rumors
Las Vegas notably faces a quarterback conundrum going into June, which stoked the Brady unretirement rumors. Garoppolo, who once backed up Brady in New England, may not be ready for training camp in July due to foot surgery in March.
Amid the doubts on Garoppolo, his contract includes a waiver clause, which allows the Raiders to cut him with no salary cap penalty. The Raiders otherwise have former Patriots backup Brian Hoyer, rookie Aiden O’Connell, and Chase Garbers on the roster.
Tom Brady Rumors Follow Familiar Scripts
The player-owner dynamic has occurred before in American professional sports. Most notably, NBA great Michael Jordan unretired a second time in 2001 to play for the Washington Wizards, a team he had part ownership in at the time.
Brady joining the Raiders as a player at this point in the year wouldn’t have been too late to get ready, either. Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre unretired right before the NFL season in 2009, and led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game.
Based on Brady’s recent comments, he looks more ready to follow his own script rather than Jordan’s or Favre’s.
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Tom Brady Breaks Silence on Latest Comeback Rumor