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Tom Brady's retirement has been the most-talked-about situation ever since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round last week. There was growing speculation about the 44-year-old quarterback's final season even before the playoffs began.
With the Buccaneers quarterback's future up in the air, former NFL star Tony Romo sees the possibility of Brady retiring this year and staging a sensational return in two years' time.
In his latest appearance on CBS Mornings with broadcast partner Jim Nantz, Romo shared an outrageous yet noteworthy possibility. He said:
“The Tom Brady one’s really interesting. I don’t know anything, no inside information. I don’t talk to Tom at all about this. This is kind of how I think he would retire,” Romo said. “Just knowing him a little bit, I’m like it's going to be quick, it's going to be, ‘What? Whoa! Boom!’ It's going to be a little bit of a shock. It's not going to be this fairy tale ending.
Tom Brady retirement decision imminent?
The Buccaneers endured a tough season with a slew of injuries, indifferent form and off-the-field drama enroute to the NFL playoffs. Brady, as expected, was at the center of the team's strong run despite the challenges thrown at them. Sources close to the seven-time Super Bowl champion are convinced that Brady will walk away after spending 23 seasons in the NFL.
Even before the playoffs, there was a growing expectation among teammates and former players that this season will be his final run in the NFL. Brady also revealed the importance of being close to wife Gisele Bundchen and their kids in his latest Let's Go! podcast earlier this week following a heartbreaking loss to the Rams in a close encounter. Romo thinks the recent defeat could signal the end of his time in the NFL. He said:
“I think when he wins it, I think he's opposite of what some people think. I think that's when he goes away, when he loses. Just because it's actually like, ‘Okay, when I win it I want to see if I can be the first one to win three in a row.’ There’s always another thing. Once you don’t have that ability, which I think is getting close here, I think this is how he walks away.”
After a tumultuous season, Brady and his family are reportedly contemplating a major life decision. The all-time NFL great will be 45 by the time the 2022-23 season starts, so it's a massive call for an elite NFL player his age. Pulling off a Brett Favre or Michael Jordan - who came back from retirement - is a stretch, but not impossible.
"I think sneakily, there’s a chance Tom Brady retires and could come back in two years," Romo said before adding: "This is just crazy, but he’s like a bionic man. He’s not hurt, he’s still playing great. He may need to refresh like Jordan, and go two years away, and maybe start another challenge. Because otherwise he has nothing else to prove."
