Buccaneers GM Jason Licht on Tom Brady playing beyond 2022 season: 'We’ll see where it goes from here'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht admitted last Monday that he "had a lot of faith" that quarterback Tom Brady would end his retirement and return for at least one more season, which the 44-year-old did on March 13. 

As things currently stand, Brady is only attached to the Buccaneers for the next campaign, and it was rumored throughout February and early March that he could look to finish his career as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, his favorite childhood club. Licht spoke with reporters at the league's annual meeting on Monday and was asked about potentially keeping the seven-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller on the roster beyond the 2022 season. 

"You know, we’re just happy that we have him back," Licht responded, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "We’ll see where it goes from here. We’re just happy that he’s going to be playing for us this year. We’ll see where it goes." 

Before this winter, Brady had routinely said he wanted to continue playing through at least his 45th birthday, which he will celebrate in August. He has reportedly recruited multiple players to join him in Tampa Bay, which seems to indicate he isn't thinking about featuring for any other organization at this point. 

For a piece published last week, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times wrote that there "currently is no urgency to add another year" to Brady's contract. It's unclear if Brady has any thoughts on playing past next February if the Buccaneers have a contest on the final Sunday of the season.