Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has announced he will return to Tampa Bay next season, just six weeks after indicating he was retiring from the NFL; Brady: "My place is still on the field and not in the stands"
Monday 14 March 2022 14:27, UK
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady has sensationally backtracked on his decision to retire from the NFL and has confirmed his intention to return in 2022.
Brady said last month that he was calling time on his legendary NFL career spanning 22 seasons, having amassed five Super Bowl MVP awards and three league MVP awards during a glittering career.
The veteran, who tops the all-time lists for passing yards and passing touchdowns, had spent most of his career at the New England Patriots before switching to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the previous two seasons.
Brady said "never say never" about playing again within a week of his initial retirement statement, with the 44-year-old now confirming his intention to return to the Buccaneers for the 2022 campaign.
In a statement released on Twitter, Brady said: "These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands.
"That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business. LFG."
On the same day Brady announced his return, the Bucs also agreed a three-year, $39m deal with center Ryan Jensen, retaining one of the veteran quarterback's key protectors heading into what will mark his 23rd season in the NFL.
Brady, in addition to his seven Super Bowl triumphs, holds records for all-time completions (7,263), passing yards (84,520), passing touchdowns (624), starts (316), Pro Bowl selections and Super Bowl MVPs while never registering a losing season across his time with the Patriots and Bucs.
Brady has notably thrown more touchdown passes in his 40s (168) than he did during his 20s (147), with him and tight end Rob Gronkowski representing the second-most prolific combination ever with 105 touchdowns, nine shy of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month, Bucs general manager Jason Licht said he would always 'leave the light on' for a potential Brady return.
"We are thrilled that Tom has decided to come back this season," Licht said in reaction to the news. "We said we would leave all options open for him should he reconsider his retirement.
"Tom is the greatest quarterback of all time who is still playing at an elite level. With this decision now made, we will continue to move forward with our offseason plans to reload this roster for another championship run."
Brady cited his desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and three children when he decided to walk away from the game on February 1.
However, he changed his mind about staying home, a day after attending the Manchester United match against Tottenham Hotspur. Brady sat with the Glazer Family, who own Manchester United and the Buccaneers.
Many Hall of Fame players across several sports returned to playing after retiring, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy in the NBA, Brett Favre and Reggie White in the NFL, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux in the NHL.
The Buccaneers are hopeful star tight end Rob Gronkowski also returns. Brady convinced his buddy to unretire to join him in Tampa in 2020, with Brady's decision to return coming just days before the NFL free agency period begins.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach Bruce Arians said in February it would be a "shock" to see Brady make a U-turn and return to the game.
"Tom Brady loves to play football as much as anyone I have ever been around," Arians said, reacting to Brady's return. "As Tom said, his place right now is on the football field.
"He is still playing at a championship level and was as productive as anyone in the league last season. We are ecstatic that he decided to continue playing and working toward winning another championship."
Speaking to NFL Network, analyst Scott Pioli said: "I'm not totally surprised, quite honestly. He said it in his own words: 'the field is the place for him'. He's still playing and performing at a level that is still one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
"The worst time you can make a decision about your future is within the first month of the season ending because nobody is happy - except the team that wins the Super Bowl - your body doesn't feel good, your mind doesn't feel good, so making decisions in a quick timeframe is never usually a good idea.
"Tom has had some time for his body to heal, for him to see what the football 'afterlife' is going to look like and he doesn't like it. Again, I'm not totally surprised. I'm sure he loves his team-mates but there's something telling me that the 2022 season will not be in Tampa Bay."
Sky Sports' Cameron Hogwood...
Until we saw the man himself pouring his heart out and eulogising over his 'they helped me be great' former coaches and team-mates from behind a podium, a return always felt possible, and a little too good to resist.
Brady stepped away because he wanted to spent time with his family, not because his body was no longer allowing him to be great at the age of 44. In fact, his U-turn comes following one of the most productive seasons of his career, across which he threw for a league-high 5,316 yards alongside 43 touchdowns.
The oft-reminded aim of playing at the age of 45 was feasible. He knew it, the Bucs knew it, his family knew it.
His return offers the Bucs a golden ticket to convincing their class of pending free agents to stick around for another Championship run, it affords Arians and Licht another year to plan for life without him, it wounds a staying-put Aaron Rodgers' ambitions of reaching another Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in what had looked a weakened NFC.
For European fans, it means a Brady showcase when the NFL and the Bucs land in Munich for the first regular-season game in Germany this coming season.
That it has been labelled a case of 'unfinished business' for a man with more Super Bowl titles than any one team in NFL history, three MVP awards, five Super Bowl MVP awards, 15 Pro Bowl selections, two Offensive Player of the Year awards, a place in the last two All-Decade teams and a spot in the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team is both testament to the legacy and a Monday morning feel for rivals that thought they were shot of him.
Tampa just became contenders again.
