Getty Tom Brady waves to the crowd after a Jan. 16 Wild Card win over Philadelphia.
It’s that time of year again when Tom Brady rumors ram up, but it looks different for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback this time.
People within the Bucs organization, “and close to Brady”, indicated it could really happen after this season, ESPN reported on Sunday, January 23. The sources indicated that Brady “remains noncommittal to playing beyond this season”, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter reported.
Brady has a year left on his contract with the Bucs, and he consistently stated in the past that he wants to play until age 45. Conversely, he also talks about wanting more time with his family.
It looks like the latter may carry more weight this time than a year on a contract or another goal to achieve. Albeit, Brady “is happy in Tampa” according to sources via ESPN.
GettyTom Brady’s biggest time out in the foreseeable future could be his offseason assessment.
“Brady, 44, plans to take time after the season ends — a month or longer — to assess how he feels physically and mentally while also gauging his family’s desires, sources told ESPN,” Schefter and Darlington reported.
For Brady, he has sights set on another Super Bowl run with the Bucs when the defending champions face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the Divisional Round.
“This is the time to lock in on football,” Brady told the media on Jan. 20. “You just look at it like that [as far as] anything you can kind of put off until the end of the year. We just certainly hope the end of the year is not Sunday night. We have to go earn it. You’ve got to go win and move on.”
A win for the Bucs on Sunday secures a home game for the NFC Championship against San Francisco on Jan. 30.
Ex-Brady Teammate Rob Ninkovich: ‘He’s in Bonus Time’
Rob Ninkovich, an NFL analyst who played with Brady in New England from 2009 to 2016, believes the 2021 season really could be it for Brady.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if Tom Brady decided to walk away [this offseason] and do whatever he wants to do,” Rob Ninkovich said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Jan. 20. “Right now, Tom is in bonus time.”
Ninkovich highlighted Brady’s unprecedented achievements for yards and touchdowns in 2021 and the quarterback’s business ventures off the field as clues. Brady threw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns this season — both records for a 44-year-old quarterback in the NFL. He also launched his clothing brand during the season.
“He’ll be 45 in August. So, at this point right now, what else does he have to prove to anybody? What else does he have to check off the list,” Ninkovich added.
Brady ironically faced that question from his wife, Gisele Bundchen right after winner Super Bowl LV. However, Bucs management expressed interest in Brady playing quite long amid an offseason extension.
Ninkovich doesn’t totally buy it.
“Tom playing until he’s 50? If he really wants to, sure, OK. But if he doesn’t and he decides, ‘Hey, I’ve had enough. I’ve done everything I want to do. What’s my legacy?’ What is his legacy? The greatest quarterback of all time. So, it wouldn’t shock me,” Ninkovich said.
Bruce Arians Confident on Tom Brady’s Return
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians believes Brady will play in 2022. Arians saw the timeless joy in Brady at practice amid the quarterback group’s weekly challenge at Friday practices.
“The way he was at practice [Friday], I would be shocked if he didn’t [play next year],” Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “You know they have that Friday quarterback challenge, and he came flying out of the locker room, sprinting two or three fields away and couldn’t wait to get into the challenge. He was like a little kid. I would be shocked.”