Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is facing a tougher decision than expected over his retirement, following an underwhelming season in the NFL.
Brady is without doubt the greatest to ever play the game, so can walk away with his head held high whenever the time is right. But it's impossible to reach his level without immaculate standards, ones that certainly haven't been reached this season.
The quarterback could've retired last year, but opted against it after initially pulling the plug on his decision. But after a poor season, NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe thinks Brady has made it much harder for himself to walk away.
It's always best to go out on a high, and leave the crowd wanting more. It preserves your legacy, and creates speculation for what could have been, rather than potentially criticising what shouldn't have.
There's no doubt that Brady can still play in the NFL, but judging from the season gone by, it's not at the level he would desire. Undisputed host Sharpe thinks that Brady is now facing a tough decision, as he won't want to walk away following a poor run of results.
The Buccaneers still qualified for the playoffs despite finishing the regular season with a negative record - although that was also down to a woeful NFC South division. And after being humiliated in the Wild Card round by Dallas Cowboys, Sharpe explained his belief that Brady is at a crossroads.
"Tom Brady should probably walk away, but no one wants to walk away on a down note," Sharpe said. "Considering how he played the entire season, and considering how he played on Monday night, he doesn't want to leave on that note.
"It's just hard when you've had that career to walk away on a down note. He probably should've left before but stayed. Last season, was leading the league in passing touchdowns, 5,000 yards, probably should've left on that note.
"Then, people would've said 'he had another year in him' but now, I don't know. I'm sure he's having some of these thoughts himself. The fact is, who needs a 46-year-old quarterback?"
"Who has the ability to prop him up, has an outstanding offense? It used to be that Tom Brady would take average guys extraordinary, but now he needs extraordinary guys to make him."
"For me, he should step away, but for him, I think the Raiders is the best option." The Raiders have a stacked offense and have just left go of quarterback Derek Carr. Brady in Vegas sounds like the dream scenario for all parties, but he must commit to playing another year before contract discussions can begin.
