Tom Rinaldi on the upcoming NFL playoff weekend
FOX Sports reporter Tom Rinaldi provides insight into the upcoming NFL Conference championship games, the final playoff games leading up to the 2022 Super Bowl. Play the Fox Bet Super 6 'Stack the Cash' contest for a chance to win big cash prize!
If Tom Brady retires, he will fall into a rare category of athletes who left the game on top, not after their body failed them. With that comes always speculation of a possible return.
While it seems we are getting ahead of ourselves as Brady has yet to announce his decision, Tony Romo is already discussing this possibility.
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Oct 3, 2021; Foxboro, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) yells to the crowd as he takes the field to face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY (Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports )
"I think sneakily, there’s a chance Tom Brady retires and could come back in two years," Romo said on Friday’s CBS Morning. "This is just crazy, but he’s like a bionic man. He’s not hurt, he’s still playing great."
This season likely took a toll on Brady. He had to keep a team motivated after a Super Bowl victory for the first time without Bill Belichick. There’s a reason no team has won back-to-back Super Bowls since Brady and Belichick did it in 2004 and 2005: it’s hard to keep motivated after winning a ring.
The Bucs were one of the most injured teams in the NFL this season. And then, Antonio Brown burned Brady — who brought him to the team and supported him — with his deranged behavior and eventual walk-off in the middle of a game.
Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches from the sidelines during the 2nd quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
At the moment, Brady probably feels he doesn’t need this anymore. And he doesn’t. Yet after some time away, he could miss the drama, the frustration, and the challenge.
In addition, Brady could experience boredom for the first time in his adult life. Brady says if he steps away it will be at the request of his family.
"My wife is my biggest supporter, it pains her to see me get hit out there. She deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad," Brady told Jim Gray this week. "We think we’re going to live forever, we’re not."
The age of 44 is ancient for football years, though rather young for a life as a full-time husband and father. Brady is obsessed with football, he is immersed in the process. Brady doesn’t have the personality to head into broadcasting, like Drew Brees, or the interest in running a team, like John Elway. He only knows playing football.
Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers calls out instructions in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears in the game at Raymond James Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
So maybe Brady does retire this offseason. Perhaps we will experience an NFL without Brady looming over the Super Bowl picture for the first time in two decades next season. Though maybe it won’t be the end.
[Brady] may need to refresh like [Michael] Jordan and go two years away and maybe start another challenge," Romo concludes.
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Just like Jordan.
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