Did Tom Brady retire? Clues suggest it’s not official yet
By Mark Powell
So…is Tom Brady retiring? The Buccaneers reportedly have not been informed, with Brady still weighing his options.
Brady likes to break his own news, and when the GOAT doesn’t get a chance to control his own narrative, he gets upset. That appears to be what’s happening now, at the very least.
With Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington breaking the supposed news that Brady will retire after 22 seasons this afternoon, the Buccaneers were caught off-guard. A litany of NFL players, including some of his former teammates in New England and the official NFL Twitter account, wished him happy trails. Even the official TB12 Sports Twitter account paid tribute, only to later delete that tweet.
The TB12 Sports account deleted this Brady farewell tweet. pic.twitter.com/Iu4CJOB1NP
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) January 29, 2022
So…what’s going on? Will Brady retire?
Ian Rapoport states that despite comments from Brady and his father, he will indeed retire in time.
From @NFLNetwork: Tom Brady does intend to retire, per several people close to him. The pushback appears to be based on timing, rather than his eventual decision. pic.twitter.com/GSTqDkKcjF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2022
Did Tom Brady retire?
Officially, I don’t know. Unofficially, the smart money suggests an official announcement, of Brady’s doing, is on its way.
Should he decide to reverse course — or if Schefter and Darlington were wrong from the jump — it would be a rather massive media slip-up.
Per Rick Stroud, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians wasn’t informed of any impending decision by Brady.
“No, he hasn’t that we know of,” Arians said when pressed on Brady’s retirement. “Agent (Donald Yee) just told us he hasn’t made up his mind.”
Tom Brady not retiring, per his dad
NFL insider Michael Silver reported that, in a conversation with Bucs general manager Jason Licht, Brady stated that he’s still weighing his options.
Report for @BallySports: Tom Brady contacted @Buccaneers GM Jason Licht and told him he has not yet made a final decision on retirement, disputing the ESPN report. Licht is respecting Brady's process and waiting for a definitive answer, whenever it comes, from the QB.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 29, 2022
Even Brady’s agent, Don Yee, said the quarterback has yet to make an official decision and wants to do so on his own terms.
Statement from Tom Brady’s agent Don Yee: pic.twitter.com/vbUhSToYtT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2022
And last but not least, Tom Brady Sr. claims his son hasn’t made up his mind.
JUST IN: Tom Brady Sr. tells @kron4news that his son is not retiring. Brady Sr. says an online publication started circulating an unsubstantiated rumor. However a number of NFL insiders are now reporting it. @kron4news #TomBrady #NFL
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) January 29, 2022
All of this is fair, but given the magnitude of the moment, it’s understandable that NFL reporters wouldn’t sit on such massive news until after the playoffs. This is especially true if they had reliable sources telling them Brady plans to retire.
We’ll have more on this story eventually, of course. For now, Brady’s NFL future is uncertain.
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