Let's face it: Anyone who wants Tom Brady to retire probably is just fatigued by the quarterback's greatness.
He won six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, left to try something new in 2020 and promptly secured his seventh championship ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's 43 years old and still thriving after 20 NFL seasons.
While the Brady exhaustion is somewhat understandable, especially for fans of teams that have consistently come up short amid the QB's two decades of dominance, it also might be a little misguided.
No, Brady doesn't have anything left to prove. And yes, he could ride off into the sunset to spend even more time with his family. But, as Colin Cowherd explained Wednesday on FS1, that's not exactly the point.
"What is this rush to get Brady out of football? What's this rush to get athletes out of football?," Cowherd asked. "Peyton Manning retired, he is so bored he's doing a comedy show on ESPN+ and another show where he watches film. He's bored out of his mind.
"How many rounds of golf can you do? Nobody's telling Meryl Streep she's got to retire. Nobody's telling (Tom) Hanks or Denzel (Washington) they've got to retire. In fact, I went to the top five grossing bands of 2019: Elton John, mid 70s. Metallica, they're around. Rolling Stones. What? Nobody's telling them to retire. You can be a great athlete and you can be a great family guy. It's not just about, 'What do you need to prove?' "
Maybe there will come a point when Brady just can't play anymore. Then, the conversation might be a little different.
But for now, Brady is doing something he loves. And doing it well. Really well. Maybe we should just embrace the ride.
"Tom Brady's also a guy -- Philip Rivers has a little bit of this in him -- he likes practice. Brady's into football practice. Most guys aren't. It's tedious," Cowherd said. " ... Football practice is generally no fun, and Brady loves football practice. So I don't understand the rush.
"He's got 16 hours a day after sleep. How long can you jet ski? How many times can you ride a horse in Costa Rica? Football's fun. And you know when it's really fun? When you're winning Super Bowls. Don't give it up. My theory on life: Find stuff that makes you happy, and do it over and over and over again. And that's a great life."
To say Brady has a great life probably is an understatement.
