Tom Brady officially announced his retirement earlier this week. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady still on Buccaneers' roster despite retirement

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/4/22

By all accounts, seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady is definitely retired following his announcement earlier this week. Brady has offered all kinds of farewells via social media and posts shared on his Instagram story, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett have both referenced the club moving on without the future Hall of Famer.

However, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk noted Friday that Brady still remains on the Tampa Bay roster heading into the weekend.

Earlier this week, The Athletic's Greg Auman and others explained Brady was owed $15 million in deferred signing-bonus money regardless of his status with the Buccaneers or as an active player:

Same wrong read from the same wrong tweet. Brady gets the $15 million deferred bonus whether he’s on roster or not. He also must repay $16 million if he retires. This isn’t why he hasn’t announced a decision on retiring. https://t.co/XSdzuqKyn6
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 31, 2022

Brady is signed through the 2022 season, and Williams pointed out that Licht told reporters Tuesday the Buccaneers have "been talking with Tom’s agents" about the $16 million in signing-bonus money paid to the signal-caller that he would technically "earn" only if he played another campaign.

If the Buccaneers ultimately place Brady on the reserve/retired list, they'd hold onto his rights because of his contract. However, Brady would be free to do whatever he wishes if the Buccaneers elected to offer him a release.

A free-agent Brady could put pen to paper on a one-day contract and retire as a member of the New England Patriots, where he played for the first two decades of his historic career. An unattached G.O.A.T. could also have a change of heart and play for a different club, such as the San Francisco 49ers that he supported during his younger days.

There's no rush for either side to do anything official, as the new league year doesn't open until next month. Nevertheless, it's fun to speculate about Brady potentially swerving everyone and fulfilling his previously announced goal of playing past his 45th birthday in August.

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