Analysts: Tom Brady could leave Buccaneers, retire before end of season

Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio have added their names to the list of people questioning if Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Tom Brady will finish the 2022 NFL season as an active player. 

As Jenna Lemoncelli explained for the New York Post, Simms was asked during an edition of the "Pro Football Talk Live" program who between Brady and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is more likely to call it quits in the middle of the campaign. 

"Normally I’d feel like it’s Rodgers that would be that guy. But because of this year and some of the off-the-field stuff that’s hitting home and personal stuff with Brady, this is the one year I feel maybe it might be Brady," Simms responded. 

The "personal stuff" Simms referenced includes multiple reports claiming Brady and wife Gisele Bündchen have hired divorce attorneys because the relationship allegedly is "beyond saving." It was previously said Brady and Bündchen were experiencing problems at least somewhat related to his decision to end his short-lived playing retirement to return for the 2022 season. 

"It seems like, and I don’t know this, that his wife is threatening divorce or going down that road by all due accounts of what you read," Simms added during his comments. "I think Rodgers is usually the guy to be more renegade and be like 'screw this, I’m out of here.' But this is a weird year where we’re seeing Brady do weird cr-p and having personal issues."

Meanwhile, Florio admitted he has "thought all along there’s a chance Brady checks out during the season, and I still think that happens."

Brady's "weird year" has involved the seven-time Super Bowl champion taking an 11-day break away from the Buccaneers during the preseason for unspecified "personal reasons," the 45-year-old missing a team walk-through to attend the wedding of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and the future Hall of Famer screaming at his offensive linemen during this past Sunday's loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers that dropped Tampa Bay to 3-3 on the campaign. 

Coming off the Week 6 result, radio hosts Andrew Fillipponi and Danny Parkins both suggested Brady isn't "100% committed to football" and could retire, for good, before the season ends. That was before Brady compared life in the NFL to "deployment in the military" and before former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said that Brady "didn't look like he wanted to be out there" in Pittsburgh. 

Brady and the Buccaneers will look to put such chatter to bed when they play at the 1-5 Carolina Panthers this Sunday.