Report: 'Most NFL insiders believe' Buccaneers' Tom Brady 'will likely retire' after season

The Athletic's Mike Jones snuck in an interesting nugget of information about Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady in a piece published early Friday morning. 

While offering a handful of options for where Brady could play next season, Jones somewhat casually noted that "most NFL insiders believe" the seven-time Super Bowl champion "will likely retire" whenever he finishes his last game with the Buccaneers in January or February. 

"...because Brady has not announced his intentions, they do acknowledge that anything remains possible," Jones added about those insiders. 

Throughout the fall, Brady has routinely been linked with a return to the Buccaneers for another season and with joining the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent in March 2023. It was reported ahead of last weekend that Brady's "market should be ripe" if he elects to continue playing past this winter, and retired tight end Rob Gronkowski, Brady's long-time teammate, said this week that "doors would be open" around the league if the 45-year-old doesn't want to ride off into the sunset. 

Jones mentioned the Buccaneers and 49ers as potential Brady employers for next spring. Jones also thinks the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and New England Patriots could all at least take a flier on landing the G.O.A.T. when the new league year opens this coming March. 

"Despite his team’s struggles this season, Brady remains one of the better players at his position," Jones pointed out about the signal-caller who features for a 6-7 Buccaneers team that is atop the standings of the awful NFC South division. According to ESPN stats, Brady heads into the weekend fifth in the league with 3,585 passing yards and tied for 13th with 17 touchdowns through the air this season. However, he's also 31st among qualified quarterbacks with an average of 6.2 yards per pass attempt and ranked 23rd with a 50.9 total QBR. 

Brady and the Buccaneers host the 9-4 Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday.