Reports of the quarterbacks's impending retirement set off a firestorm of reaction from across the sports media landscape, and a former teammate had to chime in.
Reports of Tom Brady’s retirement unsurprisingly set off an avalanche of reaction from across the sports media world on Saturday, eventually giving way to some contradictory reports that the seven-time Super Bowl champion had not yet made up his mind about his future. It was all fairly confusing. But thankfully for us, an NFL insider weighed in to offer some insight: former Patriots quarterback and Brady teammate Matt Cassel.
Cassel, who last appeared in an NFL game in 2018 and was Brady’s teammate in New England from 2005 to ’08, revealed on Saturday that he had reached out to the 44-year-old to get a straight answer about what could come next. The answer, though, has yet to arrive.
Cassel played sparingly for his first three seasons as Brady’s backup, then started 15 games in 2008 after Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. He threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns, earning a lucrative free-agent contract with the Chiefs.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported earlier on Saturday that Brady was retiring after 22 seasons in the league. After those initial reports came out, Brady’s agent Don Yee released a statement saying that Brady will be the only person to make the announcement “with complete accuracy.”
Brady has reportedly not yet informed Bucs coach Bruce Arians that he’s planning to retire, and later called Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht to say he has not made a final decision yet.
Cassel may ultimately not be the one to provide us with a clear-cut answer on Brady's future, but hopefully he can at least get a text back.
More Sports Illustrated Tom Brady Coverage: