Tom Brady is officially retiring from the NFL.
The much-heralded Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback made the decision less than a week after the Los Angeles Rams ousted his squad from the playoffs in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
For days, reports ran rampant about his desire to call it a career. There were a lot of theories as to why, but no clear answers.
Upon news of his official retirement, the rationale for the decision became a little more understandable.
Earlier this week, Brady appeared on the ‘Let’s Go’ podcast and offered a window into his thoughts.
“My wife is my biggest supporter,” Brady 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.
“I’m gonna spend some time with them and give them what they need, because they’ve really been giving me what I need the last six months — to do what I need to do and I said this a few years ago. It’s what relationships are all about. It’s not always about what I want. It’s about what we want as a family.”
This was further backed up by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter on Saturday.
“Sources said that Brady’s decision to retire is based on several factors, including family and health. While less significant, Brady also recognizes that the Buccaneers are likely to undergo significant roster turnover, sources said.”
It’s also somewhat hard to ignore the fact that Brady’s last few weeks with the Buccaneers were an absolute disaster. Just one headache after another. That along with his often-strained relationship with Bucs head coach Bruce Arians alone makes the decision to retire a little more understandable.
That being said, it also wouldn’t be particularly shocking to see Brady reconsider at some point. Just this week, Tony Romo suggested that could be a viable option.
“I think sneakily, there’s a chance Tom Brady retires and could come back in two years,” Romo said. “This is just crazy, but he’s like a bionic man. He’s not hurt, he’s still playing great, he may need to refresh like Jordan and go two years away and maybe start another challenge.”
Yikes. https://t.co/R2L3c6Ni65
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 28, 2022
Time will tell if Romo’s prediction will ultimately end up being correct.
Either way, Brady’s legacy at this juncture is written in stone. He’s the GOAT.
Will further chapters of his story be written down the road, though? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
