Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are one of the most impressive stories in modern sports, but even the great stories need an end.
When you have a good thing going, it feels like it will last forever. Like Summer break for schoolchildren. In June, school is never coming back. In early August, it feels like the whole thing went by in just a few hours. This is what is happening to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
The Super Bowl run and string of weeks leading the news cycle feel like they ended in an instant. At least, this would be the case if the Brady-Buccaneers story is over.
The conjecture about Brady’s retirement has gone on for a week, but the first focus was the Rams. With that game over and the season at its end, Tom Brady’s future has become the biggest story regarding the Buccaneers, and the GOAT hasn’t held back.
Last year, Brady was ready to work the morning after the Super Bowl. This year, Brady is a little late to getting back to work, and while the circumstances are different, there are some very clear signs in Brady’s words, actions, and options that show this story could be coming to an end.
Nowhere is better to get into Brady’s mind than from his own words, and these words from Brady tonight in his podcast inspire little confidence in him staying on the field for the Bucs.
Tom Brady on his Let’s Go podcast.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 25, 2022
“I said this a few years ago, it's what relationships are all about. It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next.”
Everyone knows that Brady’s family is ready for him to be done with football, and quotes like this show just how much of a contentious topic Brady’s future is in his own household.
These comments almost seem sentimental and feel like they are leading up to the big reveal that Brady and his family just want to enjoy his health and retirement together.
This all could just be a misdirection, and it makes sense when you think about Brady not wanting the Rams loss to be his last game in the NFL, but these don’t seem like the words of a man who is locked in and ready to be on fire for another season.
The Buccaneers may want to start giving more thought to a future without one of the most important players in franchise history.
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