Tom Brady decided to play the 23rd season of his unprecedented NFL career knowing he had the full support of his family.
Brady initially decided to step away from the game a few weeks after the Buccaneers' 2021 campaign came to a close. A desire to spend more time with his family appeared to be a major reason why the 44-year-old quarterback briefly hung up his cleats.
But after only 40 days in retirement, Brady announced he would put his post-football life on hold and return to Tampa Bay. During a recent interview with Complex, the seven-time Super Bowl champion shed light on a conversation he had with his wife, Gisele Bundchen, when he realized he wanted to keep playing.
"I decided to talk with my family and I said, 'I think I wanna do this one more time if you guys will support that,' " Brady told Mike DeStefano. " And my wife was so supportive of it and she said, 'Look, I want you to be happy. I want you to enjoy it and go out there and win.' Ultimately, that's why I came back, to win. There's only one reason to play for me at this point in my career. And that's to win."
Oddsmakers like Brady and the Bucs' chances of winning this season, as Tampa currently has the second-shortest odds (7-to-1) at DraftKings Sportsbook to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Arizona next February.
