Retired quarterback Tom Brady will be the first one to tell you his final campaign in the NFL was an underwhelming one. Those inside the Buccaneers organization wouldn’t argue with the notion either given Tampa Bay was dealt a first-round playoff exit after a mediocre regular season.
But that doesn’t mean anyone involved regrets their respective decisions.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht made that crystal clear Tuesday when he spoke with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“Yes, 1,000%,” Licht responded when asked if it was worth bringing Brady back for the 2022 campaign, per a team-provided transcript.
The decision resulted in the Buccaneers again pushing their chips into the middle of the table and their finances down the road.
Brady previously helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl in Feb. 2021 after initially signing a two-year deal with the organization following two decades with the New England Patriots. The Buccaneers extended Brady for two more seasons, at the time through the 2023 campaign, one month after winning the Super Bowl.
Outside of the locker room the Buccaneers enjoyed a return to relevancy with Brady. And inside the locker room, Tampa Bay got to see the work ethic and winning culture the seven-time Super Bowl champion brought with him. That’s not lost on Licht.
“It’s extremely important. We’ve got a great locker room. Like you said, he was lured by that and the talent — the locker room, the cohesiveness and the leadership,” Licht said. “I think Tom’s time with us — and when we signed him, we thought this… one of the things that is going to be beneficial having Tom is everybody learning, especially in that quarterback room, what it takes to be the best of all time.”
Brady announced his retirement from the NFL “for good” before the Super Bowl in February. Licht confirmed he is of the mindset that Brady put that chapter behind him with the Buccaneers now forging forward with no regrets.
