Buccaneers' Tom Brady reportedly 'decided by himself' to un-retire, return for 2022 NFL season

Amid numerous stories and rumors claiming that Gisele Bündchen, the wife of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, wasn't on board with his decision to end a short-lived retirement to return for at least another NFL season, Brady recently suggested he is questioning how much longer he wants to commit to playing. 

Per an update offered by Anna Lazarus Caplan and Steve Helling of People on Wednesday afternoon, a source close to Brady now says that the quarterback and Bündchen "mutually" determined he would retire after the 2021 season. The source adds that the seven-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller "decided by himself that he'd come back," which he announced in March. 

"She's a very 'pros vs cons' person, and she sees very few pros to him playing anymore," the source explained. "She's told him that he's the G.O.A.T., and he has absolutely nothing left to prove. He could be going out on top, and playing until the wheels fall off doesn't seem to be the way to go out on top." 

Brady raised eyebrows in August when he took an 11-day break away from the Buccaneers during the preseason for unspecified "personal reasons" now thought to be related to Bündchen's supposed unhappiness over his un-retirement. 

"He knew 100% that he needed to get some s--- together," the People story notes about Brady's summer sabbatical. "It was also symbolic, his way of showing that his family is as important to him as football is." 

The new report also says that "Brady knows he needs to retire after this year 'if he wants to stay married.'" The 45-year-old wouldn't confirm this will be his last season as an active NFL player during Monday's episode of his weekly "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast with broadcaster Jim Gray.

"One of these days [the rumors] are going to be right… It’s really fun for me. I still enjoy [it]. I feel it out there, I feel the joy, I feel the happiness, I feel the camaraderie," Brady told Gray at that time. 

For an interview with Elle magazine that took place earlier this summer, Bündchen admitted to having "concerns" about Brady playing and confessed that she "would like him to be more present" for their children.

"But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too," she continued during those comments. 

Brady completed 18-of-27 passes for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the season-opening win at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. The 1-0 Buccaneers will next play at the 1-0 New Orleans Saints this coming Sunday.