As Tom Brady nears the end of his age-45 season, the conversation surrounding his next career move figures to heat up again with four weeks remaining in the 2022 campaign.
Will Brady be back in 2023 for a fourth season with the Buccaneers? Or will the seven-time champion hang up his cleats for the final time and begin his already lucrative broadcasting career? In the eyes of one of his biggest celebrity fans, the superstar quarterback’s decision could center around a return to a very familiar city up north.
Appearing on Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, Bill Simmons dropped his hot take on what Brady might do next during a hilarious chat with Peyton and Eli Manning. And, as you might expect, the renowned sports personality and diehard Patriots fan envisioned a scenario where Brady, nearly four years removed from departing in free agency, sits with Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft to hammer out the details of a legendary farewell tour in Foxborough.
“I don’t think Brady’s gonna retire,” Simmons said during Monday's Patriots-Cardinals game. “I don’t think he’s gonna be in Tampa next year, and I do wonder is there a possibility he could come back next year. A farewell thing, you know how much he means to Bob Kraft, could this be the way to put a bow on it? Could he come back for one last season?”
While one has to admire Simmons for his undying loyalty to the Patriots, it remains to be seen whether or not Brady even plays next year, let alone consider going back to the team where he spent his first 19 seasons.
The timing of Simmons’ take hardly feels like a coincidence following a Sunday report from the NFL Network that stated Brady plans to keep his options open ahead of the ’23 offseason. He is slated to again become a free agent after returning from retirement to sign a one-year, $15 million contract before the season.
With the Buccaneers (6-7) fighting to stay alive in the playoff hunt, perhaps Brady could see the appeal in moving on and embracing a new challenge in leading his old team back to the heights it reached during his tenure. Only time will tell if that ultimately ends up being the case.
