"Tom Brady saw gas prices and said back to work" - Jimmy Fallon jokes about TB12's retirement U-turn

Everyone has a theory about why Tom Brady decided to retire and unretire after more than a month. Jimmy Fallon's theory could be the funniest of them all. Speaking on his late-night talk show, The Tonight Show, Fallon joked that the insane cost at the pump was the final straw in pushing the quarterback to return to work, among other things. Here's what he said:

"Basically, Brady saw gas prices and said back to work. That's right. [The quarterback] is back and once again, he made history as the first person to ever move to Florida and unretire. Brady's retirement lasted 40 days. In other words, he pretty much gave up football for Lent. Yeah, it was only retired for six weeks. His kids are like 'is it something we said?'"

The show host gave an interestingly hilarious comparison between the most accomplished quarterback of all time and a long-running band playing past their age:

"I have a feeling Brady's gonna be like one of those bands that keep going on their farewell tour is our last tour this year."

The joke worked for the Buccaneers quarterback, but one could also throw the same joke at Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers called his 2021 season with the Green Bay Packers his "last dance." However, before the snow had fully melted after the season, he re-signed with the team for record money and length for a quarterback in his age bracket.

The effects of Tom Brady's return

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2022 will give the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers another shot to meet in the Super Bowl. There was a moment in the 2021 season when the Patriots were jelling and looking like their former selves with the top seed in the conference. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2020 season. Put simply, anything is possible.

The quarterback could be back in the running for the MVP in 2022, potentially against Aaron Rodgers once again. Without Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were facing a sharp dropoff at quarterback. With the quarterback returning, the room has been resolidified. Of course, the team has a reason to draft a first-round quarterback after enduring the scare of the last month or so.

Instead of seeing other quarterbacks take primetime spots that the No. 12 would have been the star of, primetime is likely to feature plenty of the No. 12. With the quarterback making a return, more career records could fall.