QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Tom Brady is reportedly leaning towards returning to the NFL in 2023 but whether he stays with Tampa Bay is an open question.
It has certainly been a tumultuous season for Tom Brady, who retired and then un-retired during the offseason in a decision that may have cost him his marriage to Giselle Bundchen. Brady has struggled at times with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that looks like a shell of itself, raising questions about whether he regrets his decision to come back.
The end of this season still has to be written as the Buccaneers are fighting to win the NFC South but Brady is strongly considering a return in 2023, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. This would be a change from Brady’s original plan of retiring at age 45, which had been a long-standing goal of his dating back nearly a decade.
Will Tom Brady stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
NFL.com’s report certainly indicates that this is a possibility since Brady has shown great affinity for the Glazer family, who own the Buccaneers and embraced him when he became a true free agent after the 2020 season. Tampa Bay also has done whatever it can to keep Brady happy in recent years, a trend that would likely continue since the franchise knows it won’t stay relevant without him.
Brady is motivated by winning at all costs, however, and he may realize that the Buccaneers’ window to compete for championships has come to a close. That would open up plenty of other possibilities for Brady, who is keeping all of his options open with the offseason approaching.
One possibility that will attract a ton of attention is the San Francisco 49ers, who have a championship-ready team that has quarterback questions. Brady grew up a fan of the 49ers and idolized Joe Montana so returning home to end his career could be a nice capstone to a storied career.