Here is what NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport said after Tom Brady announced that he was ending his short retirement to return for his 23rd NFL season.
Remember when Tom Brady announced that he was retiring from the NFL after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated in the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams? Us too.
On Sunday, Brady revealed in a tweet that he was coming out of retirement to return to the Buccaneers for his 23rd NFL season. To say that the NFL world was left shocked is an understatement.
Here is what NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport had to say about the huge news.
Tom Brady unretires: What Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport said about Brady’s return
Tom Brady is back. A short retirement. The #Bucs never replaced him and didn’t make an offer on Deshaun Watson. They left the light on. Now, Brady is back.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2022
From @NFLTotalAccess: Tom Brady comes out of retirement. Back for another sesaon with the #Bucs. pic.twitter.com/2fBfithPCR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2022
By announcing his decision to return to Tampa tonight, Tom Brady sends a message to the 24 Buccaneers free agents who could have begun entering into agreements with other teams at noon Monday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2022
As Rapoport said, the Buccaneers left the light on for Brady and did not make an immediate move to replace him as the team’s starting quarterback. That decision obviously paid off for the team.
Schefter notes that with the free agency negotiation period officially begins on Monday at 12:00 p.m. ET, Brady let Tampa Bay’s 24 free agents know that he will be back. That will, of course, factor in their decision, especially if they want to make another run for a Super Bowl title.
Brady is coming off a statistically strong year at the age of 44, as he led the league in completions (485), pass attempts (719), passing yards (5,316), passing touchdowns (43) and yards gained per game (312.7).
Just when you thought this past week in NFL news could not get any crazier, Brady returns after over a month in retirement.