Tom Brady may have decided that he is retiring from the NFL after 22 seasons, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star has yet to confirm the bombshell report that surfaced on Saturday. Could money have something to do with that?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported on Saturday that Brady is retiring. Brady’s own brand, TB12, then also tweeted the news, but it later deleted the tweet. What followed was a rollercoaster of emotions for NFL fans, with Brady privately disputing the retirement report and the quarterback’s father also delivering a strong response.
So what exactly is going on? One theory is that Brady may want to wait to collect his signing bonus from last year before he officially retires. If he formally calls it a career before Feb. 4, Brady would be leaving $15 million on the table.
You could argue that Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen have plenty of money, but who would turn down $15 million if all they have to do is wait a week to collect it? Probably no one.
There may be other reasons that Brady is waiting to make his announcement. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said Sunday that Brady’s plan was to share the news via his production company.
We’d be shocked if the ESPN report were inaccurate. Schefter received backlash in the past for the way he handled the news of another star quarterback’s retirement. Brady probably had a specific plan for how he would deliver his retirement news, but a leak seems to have spoiled it.
More must-reads: