Have we seen the last of Tom Brady?
It was the question on everyone’s mind after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated from the playoffs following a dramatic 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday. Brady was unsurprisingly noncommittal about his future during the post-game press conference. “I haven’t put a lot of thought into it,” he said. “I’ll just take it day by day. And we’ll see.”
The following day, Brady appeared on the Let’s Go podcast and tried to calm down the retirement talk by reminding people that his offseason has only just begun, and he will prioritize family time before even considering his future in the NFL.
“I think the point is there’s no really rush for me to figure out what’s next,” he said, per Pro Football Talk. “You know, I’ll know when I know. It’s a day after the season. So I think for all of us, you know, we can all decompress a bit. It’s been six straight months of football, every day consumed by day in and day out football. And I think now it’s just some time to spend some time with my family and spend some time with my kids.”
Brady also spoke candidly about the sacrifices that his wife Gisele Bundchen and their kids have made over “the last six months to do what I love to do,” and admitted that the decision to retire is something that will be decided as a family. “My wife is my biggest supporter,” he said. “It pains her to see me get hit out there. And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad. And I’m gonna spend some time with them and give them what they need, ‘cause they’ve really been giving me what I need the last six months to do what I love to do.”
“I said this a few years ago, it’s what relationships are all about,” he continued. “It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family. And I’m gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
Brady said that while he gets “so much joy” out of playing football, he knows that there’s a similar joy in seeing his kids grow up, and he will factor these feelings into his decision.
Brady said that he’s “proud and satisfied” with how everything turned out this season because he knows that he gave his teammates everything he could offer. He acknowledged that as he’s gotten older, his attention has been divided as he has “different priorities and responsibilities in life” that have nothing to do with the game of football.
“And, you know, I have things happening outside of football that require some time and energy. Not a ton but, you know, the kids require time and energy and that’s enjoyable for me, too,” he said. “So again, it’s a, you know, I’ll know when the time is right and there’s no rush to make a decision. So, you know, we’ll just see.”
These remarks have led some to believe that there’s a very real possibility that we have indeed seen the last of Brady.
You can check out some reactions to Brady’s comments below.
