Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is in danger of completing only his second season with less than 10 wins after a shock defeat to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
With his team suffering a swathe of injuries, Brady’s Buccaneers were taken to overtime where they eventually fell to a 23-17 defeat to the Browns. The seven-time Super Bowl champion completed 29 passes from 43 attempts for 246 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the brutal loss.
It’s remarkable that Brady even returned in 2022 for a 23rd season in the NFL. Earlier this year, FOX Sports announced Brady would join the network as a leads analyst following his retirement, signing a 10-year contract worth $375million (£310m), which is remarkably more than his current salary as the quarterback of the Buccaneers.
Back in February, Brady retired from the NFL after 22 years but the 45-year-old quickly reversed his decision and returned amid much fanfare. Given the struggles of the Bucs in 2022, one has to wonder if Brady is beginning to regret his decision to return.
In his 22 completed NFL seasons, Brady has reached 10 Super Bowls - winning seven - as well as a frankly ridiculous 14 conference championship games. Incredibly, the GOAT has only ever completed one season with less than 10 wins: the 9-7 2002 season with the New England Patriots.
The Patriots were defending champions and it was Brady’s first full season as a starter, so he could be forgiven. New England certainly recovered as they won back-to-back Super Bowls and remain the last team to have successfully defended their title.
These Bucs feel a far cry from those Patriots teams of old, though. Brady’s side are 5-6 after the loss to the Browns, although they still occupy first place in the NFC South as the Atlanta Falcons are 5-7.
While it has been something of a season to forget for Brady and the Buccaneers, they remain on course to secure a playoff spot if they win their weak division. Brady has also passed the incredible milestone of 100,000 career passing yards, becoming the first player in NFL history to reach such a feat.
When Brady entered the NFL in 2000 as the 199th pick in the draft, Dan Marino held the record for passing yards and touchdown passes (420) while John Elway had more wins (149) than any other quarterback. Brady has claimed all three records: he now has 100,000 passing yards to go with 719 touchdown passes and 281 wins.
Brady’s Buccaneers will look to get back to winning ways when they welcome their division rival New Orleans Saints to Raymond James Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 13.
