Tom Brady to retire from the NFL

On Sunday morning, prior to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington report that Brady will take some time before deciding whether to return for next season with the Buccaneers. Sources say retirement is the step the legendary quarterback will take.

For his part, in the post-game press conference, Tom Brady said that he has not “thought much about it” (retirement) and that he will analyze it day by day to know where he is in the future of his sports career. It is worth mentioning that, at 44 years of age, Brady has stated on previous occasions that his desire is to play until he is 45 years old; in addition, he still has one season remaining on his contract with the Bucs.

A day later, the holder of seven NFL championship rings indicated that his family will play an important role in determining whether he will return next season. He also mentioned that, if not, he can walk away from pro ball “proud and satisfied,” despite the loss to the Rams.

“The biggest difference now that I’m older is that I also have kids and I also care a lot about them. They have been my biggest supporters. My wife is my biggest supporter. It hurts her to see me get beat and she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a father.”

“I’m going to spend some time with them and give them what they need, because they have really given me what I need for the last six months to do what I love. I said this a few years ago, it’s what relationships are all about. It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family. And I’m going to spend a lot of time with them and figure out what’s next in the future,” Brady noted in a podcast with Jim Gray.

He further commented that there is no rush to make a decision on his future, and coach Bruce Arians also reported during Monday that no timetable has been set. The team expressed a strong desire for Brady to return, but encouraged him to take as much time as he needs and will discuss contingency plans should he decide not to return.

“My enjoyment doesn’t come from the recognition of what I’ve accomplished as a player in the league; my enjoyment comes from the competition,” Brady reflected. “More than anything, even yesterday, I was thinking about competing. I was thinking, this whole year, about competing. I wasn’t thinking about anything other than that.”