Tom Brady announces stunning NFL retirement backflip, will play on for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady has announced that he will play on for a 23rd season in the NFL, despite having said only a month ago that he had ended his iconic career.

Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will now play on for a 23rd seeason in the NFL. Picture: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Tom Brady’s so-called retirement barely lasted a month.

The legendary quarterback, who on February 1 said he was stepping away from the game he dominated for nearly two decades, wrote on Twitter on Monday (AEDT) that he will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and play again.

“These past two months I’ve realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now,” his tweet said. “I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa.”

These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 13, 2022

His unretirement instantly became the biggest bombshell of the NFL off-season. It’s also not terribly surprising. Ever since he signalled that he was finally calling it quits, he had hedged against his own words and left the door more than ajar to come back. Just a week after his announcement, he said on his “Let’s Go” podcast that he would “never say never.” At a Manchester United game on Saturday, soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo asked Brady: “You’re finished, right?”

Brady shrugged the question off. He posted a video of the encounter to his Instagram account. The next day he fired off his tweet that he was coming back.

News of Brady’s impending retirement first emerged in late January and co-opted the NFL playoffs. Then a few days later, on Feb. 1, he confirmed the news on Instagram.

“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed,” he wrote in the post. “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.”

The 41 days since apparently convinced Brady that he is going to make that competitive commitment once again.

Brady, 44 years old, had long spoken of his desire to play until he turned 45 — the age he will turn in August. But as the last season went on, he appeared increasingly noncommittal about his professional future while speaking of it as more of a family decision.

When he finally said he was done, it launched days of tributes to a quarterback with an unrivalled career: He won six super Bowls with the New England Patriots before winning a seventh with the Buccaneers in his first season with the team last year. Now, he will look to add to that.

Last season showed that Brady didn’t step away because his abilities had fallen off a cliff. He led the NFL in both passing touchdowns and yards while leading Tampa Bay to a 13-4 record. The Bucs lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams.

The timing of his announcement also comes at a critical moment for Tampa Bay. NFL free agency is set to begin this week, and Brady’s presence there will undoubtedly make the club an attractive destination for players interested in playing for a likely contender.

It also saves the Buccaneers from having to sift through a quarterback market that has already been dizzying. The Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. The Washington Commanders got Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts. Aaron Rodgers chose to stay in Green Bay, while the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson could be the next to move.

The Buccaneers don’t have to deal with any of that. They have Tom Brady back.

– The Wall Street Journal

Originally published as Tom Brady announces stunning NFL retirement backflip, will play on for Tampa Bay Buccaneers