Why Peter King Thinks Tom Brady Retirement Decision Was ‘Fairly Innocent’

Tom Brady always said he wanted to play until he was 45.

That he retired a few months ahead of reaching that age has done nothing but fuel speculation around his decision to call it a career.

But for NBC NFL writer Peter King, he doesn’t think it’s that deep at all.

“So he walked away totally healthy, knowing he could still play two, three more years, and he walked away six months before he reached his stated goal (a decade ago) of playing till he was 45,” King wrote. “Why? Times change. Emotions change. Families change. I haven’t spoken to Brady, but I assume it’s a fairly innocent retirement. He’s had enough football, wants to do other things, and wants to be there more for his family.”

With everything we’ve heard from Brady, it’s easy to see where King is coming from. Brady’s probably not just trying to avoid a rebuild with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or anything like that. His time has come, and he’s talked more and more in recent years about spending more time with his family. For that reason, he probably can be taken at his word that non-football things like that really were the driving force behind the decision.