Why Joe Burrow Believes Tom Brady Initially Announced NFL Retirement

Include Joe Burrow among those who never thought Tom Brady actually was going to stay retired.

Brady on Feb. 1 announced he was putting an end to his playing days after 22 seasons in the NFL. But a mere 40 days later, the future Hall of Fame quarterback announced he would be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 campaign.

So, why did Brady call it quits only to move forward with his football career just over a month later? The Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller suggested a possible reason during a recent appearance on the “Full Send Podcast.”

“I think he wanted to shut down the conversation,” Burrow said. “If he didn’t announce his retirement, everyone would be talking about ‘is he retiring, is he not retiring?’ So, I think he went ahead and did it to get everyone off his back so he could go think about it.”

That 40-day evaluation period might have been more than Brady simply deliberating if he wanted to keep playing. Perhaps the seven-time Super Bowl champion temporarily removed himself from the Bucs to see if there were any realistic great opportunities outside of Tampa Bay.

That said, Brady and the Bucs are built to make a run to Super Bowl LVII. As are Burrow’s Bengals, who will make a trip to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 15 showdown Dec. 18.