Those close to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not giving up hope on Tom Brady.
Brady announced his retirement shortly after the Buccaneers’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Although it’s been less than two weeks since his announcement, media and fans are still holding out hope that the 44-year-old quarterback will reconsider.
Former Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King is one of those who is keeping hope alive. King previously played for the Buccaneers from 1999 until 2003 and was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. As a local native and former player, King is obviously passionate about the Buccaneers franchise.
His fandom is actually to the point where he wants the City of Tampa to rally together to convince Brady to return for another season. The former quarterback stated as such during a recent interview with local Tampa area radio station WDAE.
Via Joe Bucs Fan:
“I don’t take no easily. I’m not giving up. I feel like we gotta get together with the City of Tampa. We gotta come up with a One More Time campaign for Brady,” King said.
King also believes that Brady will eventually return.
“I think at some point he may reconsider,” King further added.
Brady Leaves Door Open on Return: ‘Never Say Never’
Brady is coming off of one of the finest seasons of his career. Although he finished as a runner-up to the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers in MVP voting, the veteran quarterback led the league in every major passing statistic, including completions, passing yards and touchdowns.
Despite retiring, Brady is still technically on the Buccaneers’ active roster. He has one year left on a two-year contract extension that he signed last offseason.
Making matters even more impressive is this little fact. Despite King having last played in the NFL in 2004, he is just a few months older than Brady. As the oldest player in the league during the 2021 season, Brady was still arguably the league’s best.
Brady himself left the possibility open of returning at some point in the future. He did appear content with his decision during a recent interview with Jim Grey on the Let’s Go! podcast, remarking that he needs to “make time for other things” in his life.
In the meantime, King and others will continue to hold out hope that Brady will make his return at some point.
The latest Bucs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bucs newsletter here!
Gronkowski Believes Brady Will Return
Another person who believes Brady isn’t done just yet is his longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski has played all 11 of his seasons with Brady since he was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2010. He probably knows Brady’s thinking better than active player in the league. Gronkowski predicts Brady will return — but will do so in a couple of years.
The veteran tight end made the bold prediction during an interview with USA Today’s Josh Peter on Saturday, February 12.
“The guy can play at any age,” Gronkowski said. “If he’s 50 years old, he can still come back. I think he’s going to come back but in a couple of years. The guy’s a beast. He can play anytime.”
If Brady returned after this season, he would be 46 years old. That would actually surpass the age he initially set as his target date for retirement. Brady had previously indicated he wanted to play until age 45.
Due to Brady’s success during his short tenure with the Buccaneers and his high-level of play during his 22nd season in the league, no one is quite ready yet to accept that Brady is officially done with football.
Ex-Bucs QB Taking Action After Tom Brady News: ‘I’m Not Giving Up’