Jerod Mayo addresses Tom Brady possibly returning to Patriots as player

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo spoke during a Monday appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" about legendary quarterback Tom Brady possibly ending his retirement to once again feature for the club that was his NFL home from 2000 through the 2019 season. 

"Look, I love Tom, and the door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach," Mayo explained, as shared by Nick O'Malley of MassLive. "But as far as going on the field, I don’t know. But if he comes in here, once again, going back to the, 'Hey, the best player will play' -- you’ve gotta come in here in compete, and he loves competition. I doubt he’s gonna be walking through these doors any time soon." 

Brady generated headlines and sparked whispers about a comeback when he suggested during a podcast appearance earlier this month that he could play for a quarterback-needy team during the 2024 NFL season. 

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted over the weekend that Brady specifically mentioned the Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders as potential landing spots. 

On Saturday, ESPN's Dan Graziano said that he thinks Brady playing again is "likely not happening," as the future Hall of Famer "is all about preparation" and likely wouldn't want to jump "into a season without his usual offseason routine to prepare."

Of course, Brady guided New England to six Super Bowl titles from 2000 through the 2019 campaign before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in March 2020. 

During Apple TV's "The Dynasty" documentary released this offseason, Brady indicated that his decision to leave New England roughly four years ago was related to how he was treated by head coach Bill Belichick throughout their final seasons together. 

Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft "mutually" agreed to part ways in January. Meanwhile, Brady retired "for good" in February 2023.

This past Thursday, the Patriots made quarterback Drake Maye the third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Many believe Maye should sit as a rookie behind free-agency pickup Jacoby Brissett for at least a portion of the upcoming season, but it sounds like Brady won't be mentoring any New England signal-caller as an active player. 

"He’ll be one of those guys, like, if something happens in November and we’re in a good position, 'Hey, come in' -- no, I’m good on that," Mayo added about Brady. 

Brady turns 47 years old this coming August, is preparing to serve as Fox's lead NFL analyst beginning in September and seemingly could become a limited partner with the Raiders this spring or summer. 

He likely has taken his final snap during a meaningful game, but questions about his commitment to staying retired could make for some interesting sports-talk radio conversations in NFL cities between now and January 2025.