Watch: Did Tom Brady say goodbye to Buccaneers after loss to Cowboys?
Tom Brady seemed to offer a farewell to individuals who cover the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shortly after the club's wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
"I just want to say thank you guys (media) for everything this year," Brady said during his postgame comments, according to Brad Crawford of 247Sports. "I really appreciate all your effort, and I know it’s hard for you guys, too. It’s hard for us players to make it through. You guys have a tough job. I appreciate all you guys do to cover us and everyone who watches and are big fans of the sport. We’re very grateful for everyone’s support.
"And hopefully … I love this organization, it’s a great place to be, and thank everybody for welcoming me, all you regulars. Just very grateful for the respect and hope I gave the same thing back to you guys. Thank you very much, and I appreciate it."
The 45-year-old largely looked his age and appeared overmatched at times during the 31-14 defeat that ended Tampa Bay's season and left the QB's future very much in doubt. In total, Brady attempted a remarkable 66 passes against Dallas but completed just 35 of those throws for 351 yards with an interception and a pair of relatively meaningless touchdowns.
Brady unsurprisingly provided no real answer about his future on Monday other than to say he was "going to go home and get a good night’s sleep." It's believed the Buccaneers want the seven-time Super Bowl champion back for another season, but he's been linked with could-be suitors such as the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers, among other franchises.
TB12 was a mixed bag this season, although off-the-field issues may have impacted his play. He did set a new single-season NFL completions record for the second straight year and, per ESPN, finished the campaign third with 4,694 passing yards and tied for eighth with 25 touchdowns through the air. He was also 18th among qualified players with a 52.6 total QBR and a 90.7 passer rating.
For a piece published late Monday night, ESPN NFL analysts Jeremy Fowler, Jenna Laine and Mike Tannenbaum offered reasons why Brady should want to run it back with the Buccaneers and not search for the third team of his career when he can hit free agency at the start of the new league year in March. While it's far too early to say, Brady sounded on Monday like a GOAT who had taken his last official snap as a Tampa Bay player.
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