All signs point toward Tom Brady retiring after the 2022 NFL season -- or so we think -- and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback might have no other choice.
PEOPLE dropped a report Wednesday suggesting Brady faces an ultimatum of sorts: Either he walks away from football in 2023 or risks losing his wife, Gisele Bündchen.
Brady "knows that this is his last season" in the NFL "if he wants to stay married" to Bündchen, the source told PEOPLE.
It's important to note a source also told PEOPLE the marriage is not "over by any means," but Brady's decision to unretire this past offseason 40 days after announcing his retirement reportedly didn't sit well with Bündchen. Brady is in the midst of his 23rd NFL season at age 45.
"She doesn't hate that he's playing football, but she sure hates the way he handled the retirement and coming back," a source told PEOPLE. "He knows that, and he's doing what he can do to smooth things over. He does know that this is his last season if he wants to stay married."
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday, citing sources, that Brady plans to retire after the 2022 campaign. The seven-time Super Bowl champion wouldn't confirm such Monday while talking with Jim Gray on his SiriusXM podcast, "Let's Go!," and a source cautioned to Rapoport that "emotions are fluid," but it sure sounds like Brady's career is winding down. And that presumably would help alleviate any stress between him and Bündchen.
It's certainly been a weird few months for Brady. In addition to his temporary retirement, Brady stepped away from Bucs training camp for 11 days, citing personal reasons, and reports indicated he traveled to the Bahamas with his family. Various rumors also have surfaced stating Brady and Bündchen are going through a rough patch in their marriage, so perhaps it's best he hangs up his cleats whenever Tampa Bay's season ends.
After all, Brady has nothing left to prove on the gridiron.
