Getty Tom Brady recently changed his position on playing until 50 after showing greater reluctance at the idea in 2021.
The idea of Tom Brady, 44, playing until 50 emerged last year when Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht commented that he would welcome the legendary quarterback playing that long.
Brady balked at the idea in a June 2021 interview with USA Today, but he changed his tune in a recent interview with Complex, and entertainment website.
“I do think I could play till 50,” Brady told Complex. “But I don’t think I will just because I know the commitment that it takes. I know the commitment that it takes for me at 44 and 45.”
Brady noted his oldest son, Jack, 14, starts high school this fall in New York. Jack Moynahan lives with Brady’s former girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan there. Brady highlighted wanting to attend his Jack’s basketball, football, and lacrosse games.
GettyTom Brady throws a pass in the Buccaneers’ 30-27 playoff loss to Los Angeles in January.
“If I played till 50, I’d miss a lot of really important things in his life,” Brady told Complex. “And I don’t wanna do that. I wanna be there for him.”
Brady likewise said he wants to be present for his two younger children, Benjamin and Vivian, and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, in Florida.
“She has goals and ambitions. I’ve really pushed the limits,” Brady said of Bundchen per Complex. “Personally, I’ve pushed the limits with a lot of people that have been supportive of me over the years. I’ve pushed the limits with my body physically. Emotionally things change over a period of time.”
Brady has one year left on his Bucs contract. Neither he nor the Bucs have announced plans for 2023. Rumors of him going to the Miami Dolphins as a minority owner and player have ensued this offseason amid his retirement on Feb. 1 and comeback on March 13.
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Brady Gave the Bucs Time
Brady told Complex that his 41-day retirement came down to figuring out what’s next and keeping the Bucs in the loop. Notably, ESPN originally reported in January that Brady wanted to take “a month or longer” to make a decision.
“I wanted to make sure the team had time to plan,” Brady told Complex. “I didn’t want them to get too far down the line and then realize that I wasn’t gonna play. So I tried to let them know as early as possible when I felt like I was sure that I wasn’t gonna be able to make the commitment to play. I wanted to tell them that my life was gonna take me in a different direction.”
“Eventually, I had to make a decision just because they were getting into free agency. Would I have preferred to wait in the end to make sure I was really, really sure? Yeah. But that wasn’t the way the NFL calendar works,” Brady added.
Brady’s Last Dance?
Since Brady’s return, the Bucs brought back key free agents such as Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette, and the team added more talent in wide receiver Russell Gage and offensive lineman Shaq Mason. Brady hasn’t decided if this season will be his last, he told Complex, but he acknowledged that “it’s a big commitment” to keep going.
“So I’m gonna enjoy this year. I don’t know what’s gonna happen beyond this year,” Brady told Complex. “We’re not really promised anything. I’m gonna have to work my [expletive] off to get my body the way it needs to in order to give my team the best chance to succeed.”