Buccaneers' Tom Brady reportedly will 'take a month or two' to decide playing future

There's now somewhat of a timeline for when Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will reveal if he'll play next season. 

"He wants to take a month or two to really evaluate everything he has," NFL insider Jordan Schultz of The Score said about Brady during a Friday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," as shared by the Barrett Sports Media website. "That means on the field, off the field, I think there are a couple of really important things to consider." 

Brady has been linked by some with a return to the Buccaneers for another season in part because he has two children living in Miami after he and Gisele Bündchen confirmed their divorce on Oct. 28. It's also believed the Miami Dolphins could pursue the 45-year-old for the second straight offseason. 

However, Brady also has a son living in New York. Theoretically, that could put the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in play as it pertains to potential landing spots for TB12. 

Similar to ESPN's Joe Buck and former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, Schultz sounded unconvinced Brady will embrace a broadcasting career with Fox Sports this winter, if at all. Brady is on track to become Fox's lead NFL analyst whenever he retires from playing via a 10-year agreement reportedly worth $375 million.

"The thing you miss the most is the guys and the camaraderie, maybe not the grind of football, but those guys and those experiences," Schultz explained. "You don’t get that in the booth, but you do get the money and the lack of stress." 

Schultz added that there's no indication Fox would rescind its offer if Brady elected to spend another campaign as an active player. 

League insider Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported this week that it's thought Brady "is showing that he seems more open to coming back and playing another year than he did certainly a year ago at this time when he retired and unretired" but probably won't announce such a decision after "rosters are already set and you have no flexibility to build the team the way you want it." 

Per the NFL's website, the new league year begins on March 15. Brady announced his un-retirement and return to the Buccaneers on March 13, 2022.