Tom Brady is unlikely to announce any decision about his playing future until well after the season ends, but there reportedly are some NFL insiders who believe he is planning to call it a career.
Mike Jones of The Athletic wrote on Friday that “most” NFL insiders believe Brady will retire at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Jones notes, however, that those sources “acknowledge anything remains possible” because Brady has not said one way or the other.
In all likelihood, Brady does not know whether he will play in 2023. The 45-year-old is focused on trying to win his eighth Super Bowl, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of issues to fix if they want to have a chance of making that happen. They fell to 6-7 with their blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week but remain in first in the NFC South.
A recent report claimed Brady planned to play just one more year when he changed his mind about retiring last offseason. He had long said that he wanted to play through his age-45 season, but those close to him believe he is now open to returning in 2023.
Some have speculated that Brady could keep playing now that he and Gisele Bundchen are divorced. Bundchen is said to have given Brady an ultimatum about his playing future at one point.
Brady is set to become a free agent, so he will have the option of signing with a team other than the Bucs if he chooses to play another season. Some have speculated that he could have interest in playing for the Las Vegas Raiders to reunite with Josh McDaniels. The San Francisco 49ers — Brady’s hometown team — would also be worth watching.
One reporter floated an even more interesting idea about Brady’s future meeting his past recently.
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