Tom Brady on Sunday announced his return to the NFL. The 44-year-old quarterback said he was unretiring and would continue his career. Brady specifically mentioned in his statement that he would be playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Some have been skeptical of this news and suspected Brady might want to play for another team. After all, there was a rumor saying Brady had issues with Bucs coach Bruce Arians.
But there are multiple reasons to believe that Brady is actually committed to Tampa Bay.
Let’s start with him saying in his statement that he would be returning to the Bucs. If Brady had intentions of playing for another team, why would he include the Bucs in his comeback announcement? Secondly, Adam Schefter reported that Brady chose his announcement date ahead of free agency to help the Bucs build their roster. Sure enough, not long after the announcement, center Ryan Jensen re-signed with Tampa Bay.
Then look at what ESPN’s Jeff Darlington said. Darlington is the reporter who shared credit for the initial Brady retirement scoop with Schefter and has long had good information on Brady.
During an appearance on “SportsCenter” Sunday, Darlington said Brady never considered returning to play for a team other than the Bucs.
“He was committed to playing with the Bucs if he was going to play in 2022,” Darlington said. “[Brady] was still in contact with them, still having conversations with the Bucs organization about personnel stuff. … This was going to be Bucs or bust.”
Sure, there was chatter that Brady might want to go play for his hometown San Francisco 49ers or possibly another team. But that all doesn’t seem to be realistic. Brady looks like he is committed to Tampa Bay.
Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
