Getty Tom Brady's future with the Buccaneers remains uncertain.
As rumors swirl about Tom Brady’s future, the star quarterback did little to dispel the idea that he has played his last game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his Let’s Go! podcast with Jim Gray, Brady cited his family as one reason he is considering walking away from football.
Brady added that he is in no rush to make a decision and plans to rely on his family to come to a group conclusion on his football future. The quarterback admitted that his career has been taxing on his wife Gisele Bundchen.
“As I’ve gotten older, I think the best part is football is extremely important in my life and it means a lot to me and I care a lot about what we’re trying to accomplish as a team, and I care a lot about my teammates,” Brady explained during the January 24 episode. “And the biggest difference now that I’m older is I have kids now, too, and I care about them a lot as well.
“They’ve been my biggest supporters. My wife is my biggest supporter. It pains her to see me get hit out there. She deserves what she needs from me as a husband, and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad. I’m going to spend some time with them and give them what they need cuz they’ve really been giving me what I need the last six months to do what I love to do.
“You know, I said this a few years ago, it’s what relationships are all about. It’s not always what I want, it’s what we want as a family. I’m going to spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
ALL the latest Bucs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bucs newsletter here!
Some of Brady’s Bucs Teammates Believe He Will Retire, Says Insider
Brady is technically under contract with the Buccaneers for another season. Prior to the Bucs-Rams Divisional Round match, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported that some of Brady’s Buccaneers teammates expect the quarterback to retire. La Canfora noted that some within the Bucs organization are “bracing” for Brady to walk away from football this offseason.
“One Bucs source said: ‘Nothing’s been said, but there is a sense among some guys in the locker room that this is it, one way or the other,'” La Canfora detailed on January 23. “‘It’s just little things here or there they are picking up on. Maybe it turns out to be nothing.'”
Brady Is ‘Noncommittal’ to Playing in 2022: Report
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington, Brady remains “noncommittal to playing beyond this season.”
“Sources with the Bucs and close to Brady all recognize the star quarterback remains noncommittal to playing beyond this season,” Schefter and Darlington wrote on January 23. “Although Brady could decide to play again — he has talked about playing until he was 45, and even beyond — it is far from a given, sources told ESPN.
“Brady’s departure is a topic that quietly has come up within the Tampa Bay organization for weeks now, and there has been internal uncertainty about what the future holds for the seven-time Super Bowl champion and all-time NFL passing leader.
“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.”
Brady Admitted to Having ‘Divided Attention’
Brady shot down the notion that he would not want to retire after such a disappointing playoff loss. Even if the quarterback returns for 2022, for the first time in more than two decades, Brady sounded like an athlete whose career is coming to an end sooner rather than later.
“I feel like I give everything I can to my teammates,” Brady added. “Although, it is divided attention as you get older cuz there’s different priorities and responsibilities in life. I have things happening outside of football that require some time and energy, not a ton, but the kids require time and energy and that’s enjoyable for me, too, so.
“Again, I’ll know when the time is right, and there’s no rush to make a decision. So, we’ll just see.”