Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Report reveals updated feelings on Tom Brady's playing future

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 12/19/22

It appears those who have wished Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady farewell may have been a premature with their gestures.

ESPN's Jeff Darlington (h/t JoeBucsFan) revealed that some opposing players around the league have seemingly said their goodbyes to Brady, assuming the 45-year-old plans to ride off into the sunset after the season. However, Darlington added that "players who know Brady don’t think he’s retiring and that sentiment extends to those tight with" the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

Brady can hit free agency when the new NFL year opens in March 2023.

"Others close to Brady see a player whose talent remains elite and whose desire to play beyond this season is stronger now than it was a year ago," Darlington said.

Whenever I see opposing players interact with Tom Brady lately, they seem to be treating him like he's on a farewell tour of his own making. But here's the thing... I get no sense Brady himself is thinking that way. We explored on Sunday NFL Countdown: https://t.co/LeoADs7IXD
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) December 18, 2022

JoeBucsFan pointed out that Darlington "is known for being a reporter with a direct channel to Tom Brady’s inner circle" and has "been a fixture" at Buccaneers games lately.

Interestingly, Darlington's update came after The Athletic's Mike Jones noted ahead of this past weekend that "most NFL insiders believe" Brady "will likely retire" not long after the Buccaneers play their final game of the campaign. The Athletic's story was posted before Tampa Bay squandered a 17-0 lead and fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-23 to drop to 6-8 on the season.

Brady may ultimately decide to run it back with the Buccaneers for another year if he chooses to continue playing so he can remain close to his children after Gisele Bündchen, his ex-wife, reportedly bought a home in the Miami Beach area. The future Hall-of-Famer has also been linked with the San Francisco 49ers and a potential return to the New England Patriots, his NFL home from 2000 through the 2019 season.

Per ESPN stats, Brady began Monday third in the league with 3,897 passing yards on the campaign. He's 13th with 20 passing touchdowns but is 22nd among qualified players with a 50.3 total QBR.

Despite their losing record, the Buccaneers remain atop the NFC South standings, with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons all sitting at 5-9. Tampa Bay controls its playoff destiny and next plays at the 4-10 Arizona Cardinals on Christmas night.

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