When it comes to those who have made playing football their life, it’s super hard to let go when retirement age rolls around, a truth made perfectly clear by legendary quarterback Tom Brady. In recent comments made on the “DeepCuts” podcast with VicBlends, Brady stated that he hasn’t completely given up on the idea of being a quarterback in the NFL, saying he would “pick up the phone” if a starting quarterback were to be injured in the upcoming 2024 season.
The only explanation for someone like Brady wanting to mix things up on the football field at his age is because he loves the game. With as many Super Bowl rings as he owns and records in the NFL he’s captured, he certainly has nothing to prove to anyone else. Most fans already consider him the greatest quarterback of all-time.
One thing that could potentially stop him from taking the field is if he is approved for an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. Yeah, that clearly seems like it would be a conflict of interest, right? I mean, if you own a team, that is a pretty good indicator you’re not going to be playing anymore.
“I don’t know if they’re going to let me if I become an owner of an NFL team,” Brady stated during the interview.
“But I don’t know … I’m always going to be in good shape, always be able to throw the ball. So, to come in for a little bit, like MJ coming back, I don’t know if they’d let me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” he continued.
Here’s more from the NY Post:
Brady is slated to join Fox Sports’ No. 1 announcing team this season alongside Kevin Burkhardt. Former Post media columnist Andrew Marchand previously reported that Fox had a 10-year deal with Brady worth a total of $375 million.
In a separate part of the podcast, Brady said that his playing career is “behind” him, and he is trying to deliver for his next set of teammates, including the people at Fox, “who took a chance on me. How can I get up every day and do the best for them?” Brady took a gap year last season after retiring from an NFL career that spanned 23 seasons and included seven Super Bowl wins.
Tom Brady says he wouldn’t be opposed to coming back if a team calls.
OK 👀🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/GfLjWP8PkY
— Savage (@SavageSports_) April 11, 2024
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In the later part of last year, Brady stated that he almost decided to come back to the league before last season.
“The only downside to 2023 was when I was about to unretire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand,” Brady stated in a post published n Instagram.
The man, the myth, the legend, first retired in 2022, however, that retirement lasted only 40 days before the call to sports glory rang so loud in his ears he could no longer resist, coming back to play for the Buccaneers.
If the man manages to stay off the field, he would become eligible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028. He’s a lock for the hall of fame though, at some point in the future, and while he’s old in football years, which is kind of like dog years, only, well, football, he’s still fairly young as a human being. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.