Tom Brady addresses coming out of retirement amid Patriots' struggles

It appears New England Patriots fans and others within the NFL community can put hopes and/or fears regarding quarterback Tom Brady possibly coming out of retirement for a second time to bed, for good.

"My parents would call, my kids would call," Brady said about ending his second playing retirement during the latest episode of his "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast, per Chris Bengel of CBS Sports. "They'd kill me. I wouldn't be around by tonight."

Brady first retired from playing in February 2022 but announced his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following month. The seven-time Super Bowl champion then retired "for good" this past February and joked at that time that "you only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year." 

Brady turned 46 years old in August and acknowledged in early September he was "very excited to never put on a helmet again" after he spent "32 years" of his life playing the sport. 

He is preparing to become Fox's lead NFL analyst next season and wants to be a limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but The Washington Post reported last week that his purchase has stalled "at least in part because of concerns by the league’s finance committee about the discounted price Raiders principal owner Mark Davis" offered the all-time great. 

Former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel raised eyebrows earlier this week when he told TMZ Sports he thought Brady could replace struggling New England starter Mac Jones and guide the franchise to its seventh Super Bowl title. Brady sounds disinterested. 

"As I said, you're only allowed one un-retirement," Brady added during the podcast episode. "And I've used it up."

It was reported after the New York Jets lost Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles in Week 1 that Brady had "made it clear to people close to him that he’s done playing football." 

Some nevertheless will continue to believe TB12 could come back until he's spotted calling an NFL game from a broadcast booth.