After the 2021 NFL season, two legends of the sport decided to walk away from their roles, both leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Head coach Bruce Arians spent 25 years coaching in the NFL and finally won his first Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2020, calling time on his coaching career the following year as he moved into a consultant role after entering his 70's.
And in a double blow for the Bucs, legendary quarterback Tom Brady also announced his intentions to retire and walk away after winning seven Super Bowl's and spending two years with the team. After just 40 days though, Brady shocked the world and announced his return to the sport.
It was unclear how long his return would be for, in what proved to be a tough year for the 45-year-old after divorcing from his wife Gisele Bundchen.
Brady himself performed well during the 2022 season, but was certainly not at his best throughout the campaign, which proved to be a rough one for the team as they finished with a losing record and were bounced out of the playoffs in the first-round.
Arians kept in contact with Brady even after retirement, and provided some insight into Brady's final season, providing some pretty damning quotes.
Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, Arians said: "Tom wasn't himself, you know, with all the things that were going on. And I've got to give him all the credit in the world for battling what he went through last year for his teammates. I think the world of him. But it wasn't the real Tom Brady out there."
Brady's return to the sport was a confusing one at the time. At the age of 44, with absolutely nothing left to prove, his statement to walk away from the sport did feel legitimate.
It's fair to wonder why he did return after all... Brady was reportedly upset that ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported his retirement before he did, while some argue that Brady wanted to maximise his brand, rather than truly win his eighth Super Bowl.
His split with Bundchen had been heavily rumoured for months, but was not made official until halfway through the season, with the Buccaneers struggling on the field.
Many analysts and experts had noticed how Brady's body language had not been the same throughout the season, with the quarterback being frustrated at numerous points in the season.
Most notably, the quarterback had looked reluctant to take hits from oncoming defenders, throwing the ball away rather than allowing time for his receiver to come open and potentially taking a hit for the team.
Brady also spent time away from practices once a week to be with his family in a peculiar agreement which he signed with the team after he decided to come back for the 2022 season.
Although a poor 2022 season, the Buccaneers were able to make it to the playoffs with fans hoping that the quarterback could pull one final bit of magic from his hat to defeat the Dallas Cowboys and advance in the playoffs, but it was not to be as they were comfortably defeated.
It was rumoured that he could join the Las Vegas Raiders or New York Jets this upcoming season, but chose to announce his retirement from the sport for the second time, bringing a disappointing end to the greatest NFL career of all-time.
Brady is now set for a year away from the NFL before joining FOX Sports for the 2024 season where he will become an analyst.
