For the third time in four years, questions regarding Tom Brady’s future in the NFL have been running rampant.
Three years ago, the question was if he would leave the New England Patriots, which he did. Last year, the question was if he would retire, which he did — only to announce 40 days later that he was coming back for a 23rd season.
Brady’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is set to expire this offseason, and there are only three scenarios on the table: Retire for good, re-sign or hit the free agent market again. If that happens, he’ll surely be one of the most sought-after free agents of 2023.
But according to a report from Mike Jones of The Athletic, the majority of NFL insiders think that Brady is going to call it quits after this season:
“Regardless of the outcome of Tampa Bay’s quest for another Lombardi Trophy, Brady’s future figures to rank among the most intriguing storylines of the offseason. Most NFL insiders believe he will likely retire, but because Brady has not announced his intentions, they do acknowledge that anything remains possible.”
If Brady was playing at a high level, and if the Buccaneers were looking like Super Bowl contenders, perhaps there wouldn’t be all these questions on his future. But the 45-year-old has struggled this season due to an injury-riddled offensive line and the league’s worst rushing game.
The Buccaneers went 11-5 and 13-4 in 2020 and 2021, respectively , but they’re just 6-7 with four games to go. Despite the losing record, Tampa sits atop the NFC South, though a loss and a win by the Atlanta Falcons and/or Carolina Panthers on Sunday would open up a tie for the division crown with just three weeks remaining.
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Brady has completed 65.8 percent of his pass attempts for 3,585 yards and 17 touchdowns against five interceptions, with three of those picks coming over Tampa Bay’s last two games. Last year, he led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43).
Tampa Bay is coming off an ugly 35-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They’ll try to retain their lead on the NFC South when they host the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
