Tom Brady is in the process of fulfilling a goal he set for himself long ago: playing in the NFL at age 45.
But just because the legendary quarterback reached that milestone doesn't necessarily mean he's preparing to ride off into the sunset this offseason.
When Brady came out of retirement back in March, most assumed the seven-time Super Bowl champion would play out the 2022 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then finally call it a career. But as NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Sunday, retirement might not be in the cards for TB12 this offseason. The league insiders claim "all options are on the table" for Brady, who will turn 46 in early August.
"Could he re-sign with the Bucs? Brady has great affection for the organization and the Glazer family ownership group, whose franchise he instantly returned to glory with a Super Bowl LV win to conclude his first season with Tampa," Rapoport and Pelissero wrote.
"Could he sign elsewhere? There surely are teams that regret not trying harder to sign Brady three years ago. Even at 45, he'd be an upgrade (albeit likely a short-term one) over plenty of QBs starting now. Over half the league has QB questions entering this offseason. If Brady feels his best chance to win another Super Bowl is not in Tampa, it makes sense he'd look to move on for the right situation. Family considerations surely will play into any decision, as they did in 2020, with his children currently living on the East Coast."
One of the juicier Brady hypotheticals football fans and media members have kicked around of late is the possibility of the future Hall of Famer returning to New England. But even though the Patriots could use an upgrade behind center, a Brady-Bill Belichick reunion might be nothing more than a pipe dream.
