Robert Kraft reveals plans in store for Tom Brady, Patriots celebration
By Kristen Wong
Patriots owner Robert Kraft seems very intent on getting Tom Brady back in New England this offseason, one way or another.
Here’s a polarizing question: Did Tom Brady retire as a Bucs player, or did he retire as a Pats player? Some could even argue the NFL legend retired “team-less” despite playing his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady only spent the last three campaigns of his 23-year career with the Buccaneers, a tiny blip compared to what feels like a lifetime with the New England Patriots.
Well, Robert Kraft wants to set the record straight, once and for all.
The Patriots owner recently proposed the zany idea of having Brady un-retire, sign a one-day contract with the Pats, and then retire again.
Kraft is now doubling down on those comments, telling NBC reporter Malcolm Johnson that he was “going to have [Brady] back here and celebrate his 20 years worth of Patriots….Hopefully, we’ll have occasions to do it every year.”
Johnson asked Kraft whether he was planning to write up a one-day contract for Brady or host a separate celebration, to which Kraft replied with a wry smile, “All of the above.”
Robert Kraft is still desperately trying to coax Tom Brady out of retirement
Looking back at Brady’s career, it’s difficult not to picture him in that nostalgic nautical blue jersey, raising the Lombardi Trophy four, five, six times. Brady, for his part, seems eager to embrace retirement rather than embrace Robert Kraft, who said he considers Brady “like a son.” A prodigal son, maybe.
In a recent interview, Brady said he plans on taking a year off before jumping into the booth as a FOX analyst. What he will do with that time is anybody’s best guess.
As much as Brady can walk around on the streets with G.O.A.T. status, he also carries around “divorced dad” status after a very public split from former wife Gisele Bundchen this past season. Having poured buckets of sweat, blood, and tears into becoming the greatest football player of all time, he may now choose to turn his attention to enriching his family life, albeit his recent social media posts suggest he wants to play the field rather than get back up on the altar.
What’s past is past, and Kraft’s desperate appeals to Brady, for all we know, are falling on deaf ears. Let Brady put up his feet and enjoy a peaceful, drama-free retirement (for good this time) — if Kraft really loved Brady as a family member, he would just let him go.