Over the weekend, rumors were flying that Tom Brady, quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, planned to retire from football after a historic 22 season career. However, while the news reportedly came from a source close to Brady, new sources have claimed that the 44-year-old has yet to make up his mind about retiring, and fans wait with bated breath for the quarterback to make any public statement confirming or denying the news.
While ESPN, a notable news source for sports, was the first to report that Brady would be retiring after 22 seasons, both the 44-year-old’s father, and his agent have spoken out in opposition to the claims. Tom Brady Sr. told an ESPN reporter in a text message, “Tommy has made no such determination” regarding retirement.
Brady’s agent, Don Yee also reached out to ESPN via text, writing, “I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”
It’s worth noting that Brady was awarded a $20 million signing bonus to join the Buccaneers, with $15 million of that sum set to be paid out on February 4, 2022. If Brady were to announce his retirement before that date, the Buccaneers could reclaim $16 million of the bonus, so there’s always a chance the footballer is waiting for his payout before calling it a day.
Earlier this month, Brady was a guest on the SiriusXm “Let’s Go!” podcast where he addressed the possibility of retiring after this season. “I think the point is there’s no real rush for me to figure out what’s next,” he said. “I’ll know when I know. It’s the day after the season. I think for all of us we can decompress a bit. It’s been six straight months of football. Every day, consumed by day in and day out football. Now is just the time to spend some time with my family and my kids.”
However, he did allude to his wife, Gisele Bündchen, when naming factors that could lead him to retire. “My wife is my biggest supporter,” he shared. “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.” While fans are at the edge of their seats waiting for a decision, only time will tell if Brady actually intends to retire after this past season.
