Tom Brady didn't exactly slam the door on a potential return to the NFL, which begs the question: Under what circumstances would the quarterback unretire?
Mike Florio and Chris Simms kicked around the subject this week on NBC Sports' ProFootballTalk, and the latter floated a hypothetical scenario in which Brady rejoins the New England Patriots.
Obviously, this seems far-fetched, all things considered, but Simms pointed to the New Orleans Saints trying to lure Drew Brees out of retirement late this season while pushing for the playoffs, wondering whether Brady would be open to joining New England -- or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- in 2022 if a similar opportunity presented itself.
"Here's the way I could see it happening. I don't think he's just going to go back to anybody," Simms said. "But I look at this year's Drew Brees scenario, right? Where you and I both know -- Drew told us flat-out -- they lost Taysom Hill, (Trevor) Siemian was hurt, they went, 'Oh no, we need a quarterback,' and ... they put out the bat signal. 'Uh oh, we might need Drew. We need you to get out here to help us end the season and get into the playoffs.'
"If New England called last year -- let's say they're sitting there 12-3 and Mac Jones gets hurt with two or three games left in the year. Those are the ones, or even Tampa, whoever their starting quarterback is next year -- two places he's got some comfort with, knows the system. Like, that's where I can maybe see it happening."
Again, chances are Tom Brady stays retired. Or, if he decides to unretire, a return to Tampa Bay seemingly is the most likely scenario, unless he's fixated on playing for his hometown San Francisco 49ers, as some have suggested.
But would the Patriots consider reaching out to Brady if Jones suffered an injury in 2022? Bill Belichick's stubbornness ultimately might prevent such. Still, it's an interesting idea to debate, even if New England is hopeful such a situation never arises because Jones stays healthy and takes the next step in his sophomore campaign.
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