Odds Tom Brady Retires After 2021 Season
Well, that's that. We aren't going to see Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers repeat as Super Bowl champions.
They fell to the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round today, losing by a final score of 30-27. He led them all the way back after being down 27-3, only to lose in a heartbreaking last second touchdown.
The moment the final whistle blew, you already knew what the media was going to be talking about for the next 4-6 months: Is Tom Brady going to retire?
Brady will turn 45 years of age before the next season begins. Surely he's going to retire at some point, right? I've decided to set some odds on whether or not he'll retire before the start of the 2022 regular season.
Will Tom Brady Retire?
- Yes +175
- No -220
Tom Brady Will Retire (+175)
There's nothing else Brady can achieve in his career. He won the Super Bowl six times with the Patriots, and then went and did it with the Buccaneers to prove that those championships weren't just due to Bill Belichick's coaching. Brady now has more Super Bowl rings than any other franchise in the NFL, and more playoff wins than 28 other teams. Complete insanity.
That being said, he had the chance to defend last year's Super Bowl championship and fell short. Is there any purpose for him to come back for another season except for pure love for the game and his competitive spirit? No, there really isn't.
Last month, Brady told the media that retirement is something he'll consider:
That’s a good question. I don’t know. I think I’ll have to just, after every year, think about what the situation looks like for me, personally and professionally. Obviously, I love playing; I don’t think my love will go away. I think I’ll be able to do it, it’s just the other things are kind of happening in my life, in regard to family situations. My kids are not getting younger, and I want to make sure that they get what they need, too.
If I were to set the odds, I'd say the odds are +175 (bet $100 to profit $175) that he'll call it quits this offseason.
Tom Brady Will Not Retire (-220)
Despite his age, Tom Brady is still slinging it with the best of them. He led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns this season (43), so somehow by some miracle, Brady has yet to show any regression.
Retirement becomes a lot easier when your game is deteriorating and you start to feel like you're hurting your team more than helping them. Peyton Manning's career comes to mind as a perfect example. Even if he wanted to, there was almost no way he could continue to play at an NFL level at the end of career. That's yet to happen in Brady's career.
Anyone who plays this long at this high of a level clearly has an undying love for the game and an unmatched competitive spirit.
At this point, even though I'm a noted Tom Brady hater (MacMillan family is 0-3 against him in Super Bowls between the Rams and Falcons), I want to see how long he can go.
He reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes a car for a test drive and instead of stopping for gas, wants to see just how long the car can drive before it runs out. That's how I feel about Brady. Let's keep it going!!
The first season Brady takes a step back in his production is when I think he'll retire, but that hasn't happened yet. I'd bet on him returning for at least one more year at -220 (bet $220 to profit $100) odds.