Analyst: Tom Brady was 'checked out' during final season with Buccaneers

NFL analyst Jim Monos, a former personnel director and scout in the league, is the latest member of the football community to suggest the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a lesser version of quarterback Tom Brady than anticipated. 

"You’re maxed out with Brady at that point," Monos explained during a recent appearance on the "Go Long" podcast, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "He was an easy guy to prepare for—for defenses. He wasn’t going anywhere." 

Brady initially retired in February 2022 but then announced the following month he was returning to play at least one more season with the Buccaneers. However, he later took an 11-day break away from the team during the preseason roughly two months before he and Gisele Bündchen confirmed their divorce after 13 years of marriage. 

Buccaneers senior consultant Bruce Arians, Brady's former head coach with the club, noted this past February that "Tom wasn’t himself" last season and that the 2022 Buccaneers didn't have "the real Tom Brady." Additionally, current and former Tampa Bay players suggested this offseason that Brady's off-the-field matters were an unwanted distraction throughout the campaign that ended when the Buccaneers lost 31-14 to the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round of the playoffs. 

Free-agency signing Baker Mayfield and 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask will compete this summer for the right to replace Brady atop the Buccaneers' depth chart. Mayfield reportedly has the early advantage in that battle. 

"I just think they’ll be able to do more with Mayfield because, to be honest, he’s just younger and tougher right now," Monos continued. Monos added that Brady was "checked out" last season ahead of his second and "for good" retirement in February. 

Comments from knowledgeable individuals such as Monos are noteworthy if only because Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said earlier this month he was "sure" his employer was still reaching out to Brady "to see if he’s trying to come back to the team" ahead of his 46th birthday he'll celebrate on Aug. 3. 

Brady appears "checked out" regarding a potential return to an active roster, as he's preparing to become Fox's lead NFL analyst in 2024 and a limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders later this year.