Did "80 for Brady" drop a hint about No. 12 coming out of retirement?

Tom Brady's retirement is almost halfway to six weeks old. Why does the length of time matter? It was about how long the quarterback's retirement lasted in 2022. As the quarterback has already returned once from the depths of retirement, fans are looking for any straws to grasp in hopes of getting his return.

In what is almost guaranteed to be his final time wearing Patriots shoulder pads, the quarterback's new movie "80 for Brady" dropped what some may interpret as a cryptic announcement that he's not ready to hang it up just yet. However, this hint is simply a Rorschach test for only the most hardcore of Brady's fans.

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Here are the spoilers for the movie:

In the movie, the quarterback is seen hanging out with the main characters on a beach and relaxing in the sun. The former Patriots quarterback is asked if he will retire. In response, he says that he would only retire if he feels like he can't win any longer.

Some fans may draw a connection between the beach in the movie and the beach in the announcement post on February 1st. However, the timeline of the movie's filming doesn't match up with his reality on February 1st. Put simply, the quarterback is not coming back.

According to Adam Schefter via ESPN, he officially retired from the league via a letter confirming that he was done with football. It also makes him eligible to join the Hall of Fame in 2028.

Tom Brady more prepared to retire after the 2022 season

Tom Brady at Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New England Patriots

There is also one big difference between the quarterback's situation in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he retired with no backup plan. It was rumored that he was interested in joining the Miami Dolphins as a minority owner, but ultimately got cold feet. Without a plan, he returned to football.

However, in 2023, No. 12 has an agreement with Fox that he has already begun to prepare for. In comments made on 'The Herd with Colin Cowherd,' the quarterback revealed that he will be calling games in 2024 and simply needed a year to decompress and build a new life for himself without football.

After an 8-9 season that saw him get eliminated in explosive fashion, No. 12 is done for good.