Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Former New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest thinks he knows what the future might hold for ex-teammate Tom Brady.

McGinest, who was Brady’s teammate for five seasons with New England, thinks TB12 could be playing his final season, but that might ultimately depend on whether or not he can go out with a Super Bowl title.

“I think if he wins it, it could be. He will walk off into the sunset complete and feeling like he did what he came back to do,” McGinest said on “The Rich Eisen Show” Thursday. “He did sign a two-year deal, so if it doesn’t happen, that year is still lingering out there. I think he gave himself a little bit of cushion.

“I think Tom is loyal to the game. He loves the game. He has a lot of football left. He knows that. It’s just hard to walk off when you have so much left.”

There does seem to be some prevailing thought that 2022 will be Brady’s last season. Of course, the big question is what Brady would do if he does not go out on top. He does have reasons why he might walk away, but McGinest is correct that it would be very difficult for Brady to do so if he feels like he has more to give. We saw that during the offseason.

Of course, whenever Brady does retire, he has a pretty sweet gig lined up. He’ll be perfectly fine no matter what he does.

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