Tom Brady Coming Back for 23rd NFL Season: ‘Unfinished Business'

The GOAT is back. After all the speculation, it turns out Tom Brady isn’t officially retired. Less than two months after announcing his retirement from the National Football League, the QB announced on his Twitter and Instagram accounts Sunday evening that he has unfinished business and is coming back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 23rd season in the NFL. The seven-time Super Bowl champion said he has spent the past six weeks or so reflecting on his decision and came to realize he still belongs on the field. “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,” Brady wrote. Brady credited his teammates and family with making this decision a reality, noting he has unfinished business and is ready to go. “I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible,” he said. “I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.” The Buccaneers were quick to post their own tweet with Brady’s signature line, later sharing Brady’s tweet announcing his return, writing, “Tampa Tom is BACK.” And the NFL followed not long after, simply writing, “He’s back.” Several of Brady’s Bucs teammates also reacted to the news with many smiley face emojis, as did the City of Tampa, where there had to be a lot of happy NFL fans Sunday night. Brady announced he was stepping away from the league on Feb. 1 to pursue other endeavors, saying at the time he wasn’t prepared to make a 100-percent all-in competitive commitment anymore. But many had trouble believing he was officially retired, stepping away from the game when he was still performing at the top of the league. Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title following the 2020 season and NFC South championship last season. The 44-year-old Brady led the NFL in yards passing, touchdowns, completions and attempts last season, but the Buccaneers lost in the divisional round at home to the Los Angeles Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl.  Now that Brady has announced he is officially coming back, the speculation will undoubtedly turn to where he’ll be playing come fall. Some believed the Bay Area native wanted to join his hometown San Francisco 49ers, especially after reports had emerged in recent weeks that the relationship between Brady and Bucs head coach Bruce Arians had soured — something Arians has adamantly denied. Whether there’s any truth to that isn’t known, but it’s unlikely the Bucs would agree to a trade for their star QB. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Sunday it’s “total excitement” for Arians now that Brady is returning under center for Tampa, noting the Bucs always left the light on for the QB while looking at other options for next season. With Brady under contract in Tampa for the 2022 season, what does this mean for other Bucs players whose futures were hanging in the balance, namely tight end Rob Gronkowski, a close friend and longtime teammate of Brady’s. Brady’s news comes at an especially critical time for the Buccaneers organization, just days before free agency begins. The team still has to make decisions on several key players including running back Leonard Fournette, Gio Bernard — who went to Tampa to play with Brady — Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen, cornerback Carton Davis, safety Jordan Whitehead, linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and others. The team had already placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Notably, Brady announced his change of heart just a day after attending a Manchester United match where Brady sat with the Glazer family, who owns the club…and the Buccaneers. In video posted to Brady’s Instagram account ahead of his Sunday announcement, Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to ask Brady, “You’re finished, right?” And Brady’s face certainly looked to say, not quite. Brady’s wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, did not immediately post any reaction to her husband’s announcement on her social media accounts. Brady had cited his desire to spend more time with Bundchen and his three children when he first announced his “retirement.” The Associated Press contributed to this report This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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