Tom Brady is facing the inevitable after suffering the ultimate embarrassment in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defeat against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Brady and the Buccaneers offense were poor throughout as the Bucs were kicked out of the Play-Offs.
Brady, 45, has managed to stave off Father Time for years now, having continuously battled against suggestions he should retire. But on Monday night, he had no answer for the Cowboys and was unable to produce one last hurrah. Brady's first half shutout was his first in a Play-Off game since his first post-season appearance in 2001.
The Cowboys, and in particular Micah Parsons, were too strong for him, and his Buccaneers offence was simply too weak and impotent, and despite his best efforts, Brady was unable to conjure up the magic required to take the Bucs to the Divisional round.
Having won seven Super Bowl rings, Brady has nothing left to prove. He's undoubtedly the greatest quarterback of all time, and has hit records that will likely never be broken. But Monday night's crushing defeat at the hands of the Cowboys hardly sent out the message to interested teams that he still has what it takes to compete in the NFL.
A return to the New England Patriots has been mooted, but Robert Kraft might well now decide he's better off with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe as his two quarterback options. The Las Vegas Raiders are another option, but it's possible they'll look to make a trade with the Green Bay Packers so they can reunite Aaron Rodgers with Davante Adams.
Brady now heads into free agency for just the second time in his career, and there seems to be no obvious option for him. There has been no shortage of teams linked with his services, and retirement is still an option.
The 45-year-old has already signed a deal with Fox Sports to join their team as a lead on-air analyst, earning a reported $375million (£307m) over the course of 15 years. However, that deal will only kick in once he decides he's finally done playing.
After his short-lived retirement in early 2022, many expected the 2023 season to be Brady's last. Instead, it now appears he's got no intention of walking away, and will instead look to remain in the NFL next season.
Brady could have walked away after his greatest performance of all-time - when he and the Patriots came back from 28-3 down to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. He could have quit after winning his sixth title with the Patriots at Super Bowl 53. Now, it seems he's out of fairytale endings, and the time may have come for him to decide enough is enough.
