Brady opened the door to a possible return last week.
Tom Brady stirred the waters of speculation about a possible return to the NFL last week.
When answering a question about whether or not he would ever consider coming of retirement, Brady said “never say say never.” On the latest episode of his weekly podcast, the 44-year-old tried to convey a slightly different message.
Jim Gray, the host of the Let’s Go! podcast, asked Brady on the show‘s 2021 season finale how he would go about his life in the immediate future. He also joked with the seven-time Super Bowl champ, wondering whether Brady would do his best to stay in shape or indulge in a few slices of key lime pie.
“You know I love those key lime pies, too,” Brady said in response. “That’s my dessert of choice. So there’ll definitely be a few more of those and I’m super content and happy with how I feel in my decision. All you can do is take it day by day, nothing’s promised for us. I’m gonna do things I really enjoy and spend time with people that I really enjoy spending time with.”
“So the future is bright. I look forward to the opportunities that are ahead and I look forward to speaking with everyone again next year. So I’ve had a great time doing the show. We’ll keep it going and thank you to everyone for their amazing support, thanks for another great NFL football season. And I hope it just keeps getting better and better from here.”
Brady’s response seemed to downplay what he said just a week ago when Gray asked him if he‘d ever think about coming back to football. However, he's echoed a similar sentiment in all of his public comments since he officially announced his retirement on Feb. 1: he wants to spend time with his loved ones.
“You know, I’m just gonna take things as they come,” Brady said on the Feb. 7 podcast. “I think that’s the best way to put it and I don’t think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time I know that I’m very, I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now, [inaudible] change, it most likely won’t. But I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week. And, again, I think it’s not looking to reverse course, I’m definitely not looking to do that. But in the same time I think you have to be realistic that you never know what challenges there are gonna be in life. Again, I loved playing. I’m looking forward to doing things other than playing.”
Brady’s former teammates don’t seem so convinced he’s ready for retirement, including Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. The Buccaneers haven't released Brady or placed him on the reserve/retired list either, as they reportedly hope that the 44-year-old changes his mind before next season, according to NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
With the 2021 campaign now fully in the rearview, the next few months are sure to be filled with further speculation about Brady‘s plans.
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