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Tom Brady won’t go on total football hiatus after his retirement from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFL.
SiriusXM Radio announced on Thursday, February 23, that Brady will continue with the “Let’s Go!” podcast, which airs weekly during the NFL season and features Brady and cohost Jim Gray talking about the latest in the NFL. Gray also has a weekly “Let’s Go!” episode cohosted former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who stepped away from the game in 2021.
Brady announced his second retirement from football on February 1, submitting a retirement letter to the NFL and NFL Players Association on February 10. The Bucs will eat a $35 million dead salary cap hit from Brady’s retirement unless he signs a dummy contract, according to Pro Football Talk, to spread out the cap hit between 2023 and 2024.
Brady has a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports waiting for him next, but he has said he wouldn’t begin his broadcast gig until 2024. When Brady told FS1’s Colin Cowherd that he would put off joining Fox for a year in order to prepare for the job, it invited speculation of a second unretirement.
Rumors of Brady joining the San Francisco 49ers or the Las Vegas Raiders still persist as NFL free agency looms in March.
Brady Really Might Unretire Again
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio isn’t convinced Brady will stay retired.
Florio most recently linked Brady to the 49ers, Brady’s hometown team. Brady grew up in the Bay Area, and the 49ers have an uncertain quarterback situation with Trey Lance‘s ankle injury recovery, Brock Purdy‘s elbow injury recovery, and Jimmy Garoppolo headed for free agency.
Florio isn’t alone in floating Brady rumors. Former NFL general manager and current ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum speculated that the Raiders could call Brady. The Raiders recently cut Derek Carr to save salary cap space.
Similarly to Tannenbaum, Cowherd said he could see Brady fielding calls from the likes of the 49ers.
Brady Could Unretire Later
Whether Brady will stick with retirement or make a second comeback remains to be seen at least until the new season kicks off in September.
Last-minute unretirements have happened before. Brett Favre did it three times when he played for the New York Jets in 2008 and then the Minnesota Vikings in 2009 and 2010.
“Maybe he won’t unretire for a second time,” Florio acknowledged. “The point is that, no matter how he feels now, no one knows [including him] how he’ll feel later.”
“Especially if the 49ers become persistent in their efforts to bring Brady home,” Florio added. “And if Brady realizes that, with Patrick Mahomes possibly ready to make a run at seven, it could be wise to try to get No. 8.”
Mahomes, 27, recently won his second Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. He didn’t shy away from chasing Brady’s legacy before the Super Bowl.
“I’m trying to catch Tom, but Tom’s a long ways away,” Mahomes said, via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “You can ask me when I’m, like, 38 years old.”
Mahomes’ early success already has the comparisons with Brady rolling, and Brady’s window to stretch the gap between the two is closing fast.
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