Tom Brady — the 45-year-old, five-time Super Bowl MVP — retired after last season only to return 40 days later.
This season, Brady has seen even more upheaval. On Monday, he finished the first losing season of his 23-year career. In October, he announced his divorce from Gisele Bündchen, his wife of 13 years.
Now, Brady is fielding questions about retirement… and he’s refusing to rule it out.
After Monday’s game, Brady waved his cap to the crowd as he jogged off the field for perhaps the final time and stopped to kiss his parents before heading into the tunnel.
In a press conference after the game, one reporter asked, “What is your process from here when you start to think about what you want to do next? Because obviously there’s been a huge speculation.”
“I’m going to go home and get a good night’s sleep, as good as I can tonight,” Brady responded. “This has been a lot of focus on this game. So, yeah. It’s just one day at a time, truly.”
Before leaving the podium, Brady thanked reporters, saying: “Hopefully, you know, I love this organization. It’s a great place to be and thank you everybody for welcoming me. … Very grateful for the respect and hopefully I gave the same thing back to you guys.”
If Tom Brady retires in the offseason, he’ll walk away following one of the worst playoff games of his career.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion had a tough night against Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys, tossing his first red-zone interception with the Buccaneers in a 31-14 loss that ended Tampa Bay’s up-and-down season Monday night. Brady had been 7-0 against Dallas before this game, including a 19-3 road win in Week 1. However, the Buccaneers had won the woeful NFC South and earned the No. 4 seed.
Brady won’t be returning home to the Bay Area for a rematch against Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round… but he may still be going home for good.
Take a look —
“I’m gonna go home and get a good night’s sleep. … One day at a time.”
Tom Brady on what’s next
(via @Buccaneers) pic.twitter.com/DXmzXCQS6a
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 17, 2023
Brady is set to become a free agent, so he could choose to continue his unprecedented career with another team. There will be plenty of interest in a player who turns 46 in training camp next season.
Regarding the press conference, one viewer said, “God bro give it a rest. You have a hall of fame career, don’t ruin it holding onto to something that’s over.”
One fan wrote on Twitter, “He doesn’t sound very happy. I really hope it’s just for the loss and not thinking about retiring. One more year [greatest of all time], c’mon!”
The Buccaneers want him back if he continues to play. Linebacker Lavonte David said he’ll wait a few weeks before recruiting him.
Brady showed he has plenty left in the regular season despite playing behind an injury-depleted offensive line and without star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired in the offseason. He broke his own NFL record for completions in a single season with 490, led the NFC with 4,694 yards and had 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Brady owns nearly every NFL passing record, has won more championships than any player in the sport and is destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not bad for a sixth-round draft pick.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.