Tom Brady on return: 'I had the appetite to compete, and it's going to be gone soon'

Earlier this month, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady admitted that one reason he unretired and returned to the organization ahead of the new league year in March was that he wanted to announce that decision before the start of free agency. Brady then attended the Buccaneers' mandatory minicamp last week and neither confirmed nor denied at that time that the 2022 NFL season will be his last as an active player. 

As Nick Shook noted for the NFL's website, Brady appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday and offered a little more insight into his mindset from this past winter. 

"And I think mostly when I kind of told the team, look, like you know guys gotta make plans without me," the seven-time Super Bowl champion explained. "And then (Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht) and (then-Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians) said just give it time, you know? I said, look, you know, I feel pretty strongly. 

"Then time went by and you just get super competitive. I think I'm part crazy. I mean, I think that's the reality. Forty-five years old and I'm out here with a lot of young guys that are trying to take my head off. I see (Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive tackle) Aaron Donald work out on my Instagram, and I'm like, damn, maybe I should've stayed retired because he's a beast. But I had the appetite to compete, and it's going to be gone soon. I mean, there's no doubt about it and I gotta, you know, just really appreciate the time I have left because it's not a lot."

It was back in April when Brady first publicly remarked about not having "a lot left" in the tank, and he has since agreed to become Fox Sports' lead NFL analyst whenever he retires on a deal that is reportedly worth $375 million over 10 years. One couldn't blame the future Hall of Famer for considering the upcoming campaign as a farewell tour around the league before he heads into the booth.