Todd Bowles provides vague update on Tom Brady’s return date

Sep 9, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles looks on before a game against the Dallas Cowboysn at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady is in the middle of a pre-planned leave of absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it appears that Bucs first-year head coach Todd Bowles is unsure of when Brady’s exact return date will be.

Last Thursday, Bowles told reporters that Brady was taking a brief hiatus from the team to “deal with some personal things.” Bowles also said that Brady would not return until sometime after this Saturday’s preseason game with the Tennessee Titans.

While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Bowles said that he was unsure of when Brady would specifically return to the team.

“We’ll talk about it next week. Not concerned about it right now,” Bowles said via ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said ‘sometime after Tennessee.’ There’s no definitive date for me. But we’ll check on it, we’ll keep in touch and we’ll find out.”

Brady has taken extended periods of time off during past offseasons. In 2018, he missed OTAs with the New England Patriots to spend some more time with his family. Those practices are optional, however, while training camp is mandatory.

But if anyone can afford to miss a portion of training camp and not skip a beat, it would probably be Brady. The 45-year-old could likely use some extra rest before the start of the season, and is coming off of an impressive 2021 campaign in which he threw for a career-high 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns.

While it will be interesting to see if Brady will be back on the field by next Monday’s practice, this situation might end up not being a huge deal as long as Brady is ready to go for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.