Tom Brady to decide on future after spending time with family

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady to decide on NFL future after spending time with family

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 1/24/22

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady raised eyes when he refused to commit to playing another season shortly after Sunday's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and head coach Bruce Arians told reporters Monday the seven-time Super Bowl champion should take "all the time he needs" to make a decision.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Brady addressed his future while speaking with Jim Gray for the latest edition of their "Let's Go" podcast:

Tom Brady on his Let’s Go podcast about his wife and family and football. “It pains her to see me get hit out there. And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 25, 2022

Tom Brady on his Let’s Go podcast.

“I said this a few years ago, it's what relationships are all about. It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next.”
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 25, 2022

Tom Brady on his Let’s Go podcast. “The team doesn’t deserve anything less than my best. And if I feel like I'm not committed to that, or I can't play at a championship level, then you gotta give someone else a chance to play. And, you know, we'll see.”
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 25, 2022

Tom Brady on Let’s Go pod “Playing football I get so much joy from. I love it. But not playing football, there's a lot of joy in that for me also now, too, with my kids getting older and seeing them develop and grow. So all these things need to be considered and they will be.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 25, 2022

Brady said he would hate a retirement tour. He’s too competitive for that. https://t.co/Qj7DbPCgVv
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 25, 2022

Brady led the NFL in multiple passing categories for the 2021 regular season and has long said he wanted to continue playing past his 45th birthday, which he'll celebrate in August. Plans change, though, and it's possible Gisele, his wife, has seen enough or simply wants the future Hall of Famer to spend more time with her and the kids while their children are relatively young.

Brady's update suggests he seriously is considering calling time on what's widely regarded as the greatest career in NFL history even if some believe he could look to leave the Buccaneers to spend at least one season with a different contender.

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