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One unmentioned casualty in the Tom Brady unretirement saga has been the schedule-makers. In an interview on the Adam Schefter Podcast, NFL executive Onnie Bose revealed just how much the quarterback's return upset the work they had already done in prepping the 2022 NFL schedule.
Speaking to Schefter, Bose went into detail about how things changed once the retirement and subsequent unretirement were announced. Here's how he put it:
"This year in particular, as you know, before the process started, Tom Brady was not an active player for the next 40 days. He was a retired player and then he came back and that changes fundamentally everything just because he's Tom Brady..."
He continued, explaining how the highlights of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' schedule changed with the quarterback's return:
"The Buccaneers' schedule is incredible where they play Dallas, Green Bay, Kansas City, Baltimore, the Rams, let alone New Orleans, you give them fits and so you adapt [as] we were reading your (Adam Schefter's) tweets every day, you adapt to that and all of a sudden the AFC West is incredibly compelling and you change your focus."
He wrapped up his point by explaining other factors that changed the schedule as well:
"I'd say to them like, 'Hey, we should have more of these AFC West games in primetime.' They're all going to be entertaining. And with Russell Wilson's going to the Broncos, Matt Ryan going to the Colts, that makes a difference there. Those games are going to matter. And it's just an iterative process."
Tom Brady's unpredictable 2022 offseason
Brady, historically the poster-boy for a quiet offseason, has been the biggest story of 2022. In the days following a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January, the quarterback announced his retirement on social media. The NFL community sat back in shock and disbelief in the weeks following the announcement.
Those in disbelief turned out to be correct as the quarterback changed his mind after just six weeks. It was rumored that the quarterback had retired to become a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins, but those plans fell apart once Brian Flores sued the franchise for discrimination. At that point, he returned to the Buccaneers.
Most thought that was the end of the offseason news involving Brady. However, soon after, it was announced that the quarterback had signed a 10-year deal with FOX Sports to be an analyst. This will commence the season following his retirement.
It will be up to the quarterback to decide when the ten-year contract begins. Some expect it to start at the end of the 2022 season, but others have learned to stop second-guessing Tom Brady.
