On March 13, 2022, retired seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady decided to return to the National Football League (NFL). His retirement only lasted for a total of  39 days. 

After the end of Brady’s last regular season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he decided to retire after playing in the league for 22 seasons. Brady’s departure from the league seemed sudden, as the Bucs had a great regular season going 13-4. Many sports reporters, such as Adam Schefter, have discussed their opinions on his return to the league.

In the weeks following Brady’s retirement announcement, rumors were floating among the Buccaneer’s general manager Jason Licht, about the quarterback’s potential return to the league. On March 22, Brady attended a soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United (MU). MU is owned by the Glazer Family, which also owns the Buccaneers. In an article by The New York Times, he discussed a meeting between Brady and MU superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, where he asked Brady, “You’re finished, right?” but the retiree at the time stated “no.”

Brady began his professional career when he got drafted onto the New England Patriots in 2000. When Brady entered the league he was not the decorated quarterback he is known to be today. His college career was successful as he went 40-9  in his four years at the University of Michigan, but coming into the league he did not appear to be the same college athlete.

Brady’s first season was rather uneventful as he had very little playtime and was going unnoticed all season. The following season Patriots quarterback, Drew Bledsoe had taken a bad hit from New Jersey Jets linebacker, Mo Lewis and needed to be taken out of a game. This was Brady’s first opportunity to present his skills to the league and after a stellar performance that game, he cemented his place as a capable quarterback for the league.

Tom Brady’s football career is filled with accomplishments as he has 10 Super Bowl visits, five Super Bowl MVPs, and 14 conference championships throughout his 22 seasons. After all of these accomplishments many fans believe that Brady is still at the peak of his career and has no plans on slowing down. 

Brady’s old retirement plans have also placed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a difficult position as they had lost the leader of their team.

During Brady’s initial transfer to the Buccaneers before the start of the 2020 season, his long-time teammate and friend Rob Gronkowski also made the decision to transfer to Tampa Bay which made the transition for Brady easier. Gronkowski joined the New England Patriots not long after Brady started gaining success and the two of them went on to dominate in the league.

In an article by the Tampa Bay Times discussing Brady and Gronkowski’s friendship, Brady stated how Gronkowski is  “an incredible player and he’s a great teammate, and I think what he does day-in and day-out to prepare himself is what blows me away. I think he’s the greatest tight end in NFL history.”

Overall, Brady’s return to the league is welcomed by many, especially since he discusses how retirement felt too soon for him. On his Instagram account @tombrady,  he said “These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands”. Although his decision to return felt abrupt, the league gaining Brady back only solidifies the fact that Brady is out for Super Bowl ring number eight.