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Tom Brady's retirement news sent the NFL world into a frenzy on Saturday afternoon. CBS Sports initially claimed that sources close to Brady were confident that the NFL great would retire after the Super Bowl. Just hours later, ESPN insiders Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported that the 44-year-old quarterback has made the decision to hang up his cleats this postseason.
Yet there was no direct communication from Brady himself about retirement. The seven-time champion has a knack for making witty announcements on social media, so fans were quick to pose questions about Brady's silence and early reports.
Tom Brady unhappy with premature retirement reports
Brady's longtime agent Don Yee shared a statement via text message to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, suggesting that the quarterback is yet to decide on his NFL future. He stated:
“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”
CBS Sports was quick to report that Brady was pissed with NFL media about the leaked retirement reports on Saturday afternoon. Even Tom Brady Sr. expressed his frustration over premature news about his son's NFL future. He told Mike Giardi of the NFL Network:
"This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong."
Prior to this, Sports Illustrated's Michael Silver revealed that Brady hadn't informed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Bruce Arians about a final decision ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. General Manager Jason Licht is said to be respecting Brady's time and choice before the seven-time Super Bowl makes a life-changing decision.
On his latest show, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided a fresh update on Brady's retirement saga. He said:
“Tom Brady does intend to retire, per several people close to him,” Rapoport tweeted. “The pushback appears to be based on timing, rather than his eventual decision.”
Raporport added:
“Nobody has actually denied that Tom Brady plans to retire,” There have been statements that sound like denial. There has been Tom Brady’s father telling Mike Giardi that this is speculation and he hasn’t firmly decided. There’s Tom Brady telling the Buccaneers that he has not decided for sure to retire. There’s the statement from his agent, Don Yee, calling it speculation.”
Brady has previously stated that he'd play until the age of 45. That remains a possibility if he's open to sacrificing his family once again for yet another demanding NFL season. Playing another season at the top is highly unlikely, with wife Gisele Bundchen already revealing the stress she goes through when Brady is taking hits on the field.
The reports state that premature news has ticked off Brady as his plans to formally announce his retirement to the NFL world on his own terms are now in vain.
