Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tom Brady’s retirement stunned the NFL world this offseason.

For 41 days, Brady had just about everyone believing he was retiring despite playing some of the best football of his career in 2021. But Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was not one of those people.

In an appearance on the “Full Send Podcast” that was released on Wednesday, Burrow gave an interesting reason as to why he believes Brady retired and then unretired.

“He’s playing way too well to give it up right now,” Burrow said. “I think he wanted to shut down the conversation. I think he went ahead and [retired] just to get everyone off his back so he could go think about it.”

Burrow’s theory is not too far off from what Brady’s father said.

We may not ever know for sure if Burrow is on the mark with this take (There have been some theories.) But Burrow is absolutely correct in stating that Brady is playing too well to end his career now.

Brady has shown no signs of slowing down, having thrown for a career-high 5,316 yards and 43 touchdown passes last season. He and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a few games away from making back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. They’ll have an excellent chance to be in a similar position in a weak NFC this year.

Brady and Burrow will get the chance to play against each other this season when the Bengals travel to Tampa Bay on December 18.

Depending on the results of that game, Burrow may end up wishing that Brady had in fact retired for good.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Pacers' Pascal Siakam leads team to Game 6 win vs. Knicks
Late goal sends Panthers to Eastern Conference Finals
Scottie Scheffler shoots improbable 66 after warming up for PGA Championship in a jail cell
Report: Tua Tagovailoa away from Dolphins amid contract chatter
Nuggets star has worrying comment about latest injury
Paul Skenes makes incredible Wrigley Field history in second-career MLB start
Giants rookie CF to undergo season-ending labrum surgery
Yankees' Juan Soto reacts to Hal Steinbrenner contract talk
Ex-teammate of Shohei Ohtani placed bets with same illegal bookmaker as interpreter 
Former Rams first-round pick retires from NFL after 11 seasons
Insider provides major injury update on Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis
Watch: Bruins strike first in Game 6 with incredible backhand goal
Dodgers make series of moves involving notable players
Hurricanes not expected to re-sign defenseman, center
Maple Leafs tab former Stanley Cup winner as new head coach
NFL insider expands on competition between Steelers QBs Russell Wilson, Justin Fields
NFL sets outrageous prices for Eagles-Packers Brazil game
Broncos 'very unlikely' to bring back former NFL interceptions leader
Greg Olsen offers broadcasting advice to Tom Brady
Mets star has theory about closer Edwin Diaz's recent struggles

Want more NFL news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.