Tom Brady may be retiring, but he is not yet confirming that directly to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady has reached out to Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to say that no firm decision has been made about the quarterback’s future, according to Michael Silver of Bally Sports. Brady disputed widespread reports of his retirement, although he certainly did not indicate he was coming back for 2022.
The Buccaneers were reportedly caught off-guard when initial reports about Brady’s retirement surfaced. This report is consistent with that, and indicates that Brady perhaps was not ready to make any decision public yet.
One plausible explanation is that Brady wants to handle his retirement announcement on his own terms, but his likely decision leaked earlier than he wanted it to do so. There is precedent for that sort of thing, but everyone involved would be in an awkward spot if this is what happened here.
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