Tom Brady’s first NFL retirement lasted just 40 days before he announced his plans to come back for a 23rd season. So it’s hard to blame anyone who’s skeptical that he’ll actually stay committed to retirement this time around.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his retirement again on Feb. 1. Only time will tell if the future Hall of Famer actually stays retired, but the speculation about a(nother) return to football definitely isn’t going away any time soon.
NFL insider Ben Volin of The Boston Globe explained that Brady is keeping the door open for a potential return to the gridiron in 2023:
“Tom Brady announced his retirement for a second time this month, and even filed retirement papers with the NFL. Except the retirement papers are a symbolic gesture that mean nothing. And every other action by Brady suggests he is keeping his options open to play in 2023.
First came the news from Brady that he won’t begin his broadcasting career at Fox until 2024. Then came what Brady didn’t do: sign a new contract with the Buccaneers to give them relief from the $35.1 million dead salary-cap hit he leaves for 2023. Brady could easily help out the Buccaneers by signing a contract worth the minimum salary, waiting to retire until after June 1, and spreading out the $35 million over multiple years…
It’s possible the Buccaneers wanted it this way, so they can take all of their cap lumps this year and be ready to go in 2024. More likely, it seems Brady is leaving his options open, just in case he decides he wants to play again…
I’m not ruling out his return until the season kicks off in September.”
Volin certainly isn’t the only person who thinks Brady could end up returning to football in 2023. The 46-year-old showed few signs of slowing down last season, throwing for 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.
Though the Buccaneers had issues on defense, on the offensive line and in the ground game, Brady did enough to lead the franchise to its second straight NFC South division championship. With a strong supporting cast around him, the three-time league MVP could be a difference somewhere.
Brady remains retired for now. But as Volin notes, it’ll be easier to fully rule out a potential return if Brady is still retired come kickoff in September.
