Tom Brady is once again facing an uncertain future following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ postseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, and it sounds like he may be legitimately undecided about whether he will play in 2023.
During the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay’s 31-14 loss, ESPN announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman started talking about Brady’s future. Buck said he believes Brady when the 45-year-old says he will take some time to weigh his options.
“He was very open and honest. Maybe he’s acting, I don’t think Tom Brady knows what the next step is in his life and his career. I think he’s going to take time after the season,” Buck said.
Aikman said he felt the same way as Buck after talking with Brady.
“In visiting with him, I came away from that feeling like he honestly has no idea right now,” Aikman added. “Because I knew he wouldn’t tell us if he knew, but I just said, ‘Do you know? Do you know what you’re going to do?’ And he really doesn’t. He said he wants to get away from it. It’s been a tough year.”
Buck and Aikman then spoke about the situation on “SportsCenter” after the game. Buck emphasized how Brady’s divorce from ex-wife Gisele and the issues in his personal life may have impacted the seven-time Super Bowl champion this year.
“He had a real heart-to-heart conversation with us about this. I think he’s been through a lot off the field and probably more than we give credit for,” Buck said. “When I talked to these players and people on this coaching staff tonight before the game, they said Brady’s kind of been back to himself over the last three weeks. That tells me for a while that he was really out of it with everything that was going on with the team and everything that was going on in his life.”
Brady told reporters after the game that he hadn’t thought much about his future and would continue to take things “one day at a time.”
Brady was not sharp against Dallas. He went 35/66 for 351 yards, two touchdowns and a brutal red-zone interception. The same accuracy issues we saw throughout the regular season were also an issue for him.
If Brady does decide he would rather his career not end on a bad note, he will have plenty of suitors. The Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans have been mentioned as a few possibilities for him. A reporter this week also named one surprise team that could pursue Brady this offseason.
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