Tom Brady went into Rams game knowing he was retiring?

Stories about Tom Brady’s potential retirement began surfacing roughly a week ago. However, the quarterback was clearly considering his future long before that went public.

The first well-sourced rumors about Brady’s potential retirement surfaced on Nov. 22, one day before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round. By that point, however, Brady may have already made his mind up about his future. According to Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN, Brady knew his NFL career was likely over at the end of that game, and the Buccaneers organization had been bracing for the decision for several weeks.

Since Sunday’s loss to the Rams, Brady has reportedly been “digesting that mindset” and preparing for his post-NFL life. The longtime quarterback has also been preparing his formal retirement announcement.

Based on this report, Brady apparently hasn’t come to his decision abruptly. The legendary quarterback had more or less made his mind up at some point before the Rams game, and everything after that was more about making sure there was no last-second change of heart. That mindset may have been hinted at in the week leading up to the game as well. A lot of his quotes after the divisional game had a sense of finality to them, too.