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Tampa Bay Buccaneers creamsicle jerseys with Tom Brady‘s number may wind up as more than just popular apparel if the 45-year-quarterback returns for 2023.
Former head coach Bruce Arians and an “unnamed Bucs team source”, per JoeBucsFan.com, expressed confidence of Brady possibly staying with the Bucs for 2023. That’s the same year when the Bucs will wear creamsicle throwback uniforms again. Brady also becomes a free agent in 2023, which means the Bucs will need to find a way to sign him amid a $49 million deficit in salary cap space, per Spotrac.
“He loves it here,” former Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians told Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com. “He loves his teammates, his coaches and the organization. If he decides to play next season, I think it will be with the Buccaneers.”
The “unnamed Bucs team source”, in talking with JoeBucsFan.com, shared similar sentiments about Brady’s dedication to the franchise.
“Everybody here knows Brady is one year at a time, but what you see every day is a guy who acts like he wants to keep playing,” the source said. “This is his team, and the team loves him. He’s heavily invested in many ways. It’s hard to imagine he’d find a better situation with another franchise. And he’s been playing great for three years.”
Brady Hasn’t Regressed
Brady hasn’t dropped off this season amid a 5-5 start. He has 2,805 yards passing, 12 touchdowns versus two interceptions, a 66% completion percentage, and a 91.9 passer rating. He ranks second in passing yards and has the fewest interceptions among starting quarterbacks. He also throws the ball more than any starting quarterback with a league-high 427 attempts.
“In practice, even in quarterback drills, he’s over there competing to win the damn drills every day,” Arians told The Athletic’s Dan Pompei. “I still spend a lot of time with him, but not as much probably as I used to. In a week, we maybe spend an hour talking about football and another hour talking about life.”
If the Bucs can find a way to sign many of its free agents amid a dire salary cap situation, the Bucs could retain a contending core around Brady. His proximity to his children in Miami would be a plus off the field for him to stay with the Bucs.
Brady Just Sticks Around
Leaving the game hasn’t been easy for Brady. He retired for 41 days last offseason, and he changed course right before free agency. His pending broadcast gig with FOX wouldn’t offer any solace because he would see the game he played for 20-plus years.
“I imagine not playing,” Brady told Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim in December 2021. “And I imagine watching football on Sundays going, ‘These guys suck. I could do way better than that.’ And then still knowing in my heart that I actually could still do it. If I stopped, I think I’d have to find something else that I’m pretty good at. And I don’t think that, you know, I’m going to be able to jump into something that has the same amount of excitement.”
However, Brady doesn’t want to overstay his career in the NFL.
“Regressing would be a very difficult thing for me to see,” Brady told Wertheim. “As soon as I see myself regress, I’ll be like, ‘I’m out.’ I don’t really want to see myself get bad. So it’s just a constant pursuit of trying not to be bad.”
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