Tom Brady was extremely methodical and committed to his process across his NFL tenure which spanned more than two decades.
This approach apparently continued through the legendary quarterback's final season behind center and into the earliest stage of his post-football life.
Shortly after announcing his retirement at the beginning of February, Brady revealed he wouldn't start working with FOX as an NFL analyst until the fall of 2024. Many perceived this as the seven-time Super Bowl champion leaving the door open for a potential NFL return or simply giving himself time to eliminate stress after a year that was challenging both personally and professionally.
But according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, this was Brady's plan all along. The future Hall of Famer reportedly let the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know about his potential future plans way in advance.
"My understanding is he told Buccaneers folks in the fall that his plan, should he retire, was to take a year off, decompress and study broadcasters before entering the booth and starting the clock on his 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox," Breer wrote. "So none of what he's done over the past month hasn't been haphazard at all -- it actually follows the road map he explained to others months ago."
Time will tell if Brady goes through with the full plan. Breer himself isn't ruling out the possibility of the 45-year-old never stepping into the broadcast booth.
