Bengals' Joe Burrow on Tom Brady: 'Did anybody think he was gonna be retired?'

It's hardly a stretch to say that fans and analysts alike weren't convinced Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady would remain away from the game, for good, when he announced his retirement on Feb. 1. Those skeptics were proved correct, as Brady unretired and returned to Tampa Bay's active roster before the end of winter. 

Count Cincinnati Bengals star signal-caller Joe Burrow among those who always believed Brady wasn't yet ready to ride off into the sunset. 

"Did anybody think he was gonna be retired? You guys gotta know better than that," Burrow said of Brady during an appearance on the "Full Send" podcast, per James Rapien of FanNation's All Bengals. "He's playing way too well to give it up right now. I think he wanted to shut down the conversation because if he didn't announce his retirement, everyone would be talking about 'is he retiring, is he not retiring?' So I think he went ahead and did it to get everyone off his back so he could go think about it." 

As noted by ESPN stats, Brady finished the 2021 regular season first in the NFL with 485 completions, 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns through the air. He was second among eligible players with a 68.1 total QBR and seventh with a 102.1 passer rating. 

Brady didn't need too long to think after the start of February, as he confirmed on March 13 that he hasn't yet taken his final snap in the league. The 44-year-old could potentially look to end his career elsewhere after the upcoming campaign, or he could simply become the star of a new Netflix roast before he heads to Fox to call NFL games next year.