Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady addressed on Thursday recent speculation that he could retire from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers midseason by suggesting that he had no plans to do so.
The remarks from Brady come as the Buccaneers have gone 3-3 this season, but sit atop the NFC South Division with a 2-0 record.
“I love the sport and I love the teammates, and I wanna go do a great job for this team like I always have,” Brady said. “So, no retirement in my future.”
“I think anytime you lose, it’s not very fun for any of us,” Brady said. “So I think we just gotta go play better. I think that’s the reality to solving a lot of issues. … I’ve definitely been a part of seasons where we’ve not played as well as we’re capable; I don’t think it’s as enjoyable for anyone. … We’re certainly not happy when it’s not right. So we’re working hard to get it right. It’s Week 6, we’re going into Week 7, there’s a lot of football. Our whole season’s ahead of us.”
Brady’s comments on the topic come after former NFL quarterback Chris Simms — who played for Tampa Bay, the Denver Broncos, and the Tennessee Titans — suggested this week that Brady may retire midseason.
Simms made the remarks when asked if he thought if Brady was more likely to retire than Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“Normally, I’d feel like it’s Rodgers that would be that guy. But because of this year and some of the off-the-field stuff that’s hitting home and personal stuff with Brady, this is the one year I feel maybe it might be Brady,” Simms said. “I think Rodgers is usually the guy to be more renegade and be like ‘screw this, I’m out of here.’ But this is a weird year where we’re seeing Brady do weird crap and having personal issues.”
Brady’s remarks come amid rumors that he and supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen are headed for divorce.
The tipping point appears to have been a very recent, very nasty squabble.
“I never actually thought this argument would be the end of them, but it looks like it is,” a source told the New York Post’s Page Six. “I don’t think there will be any coming back now. They both have lawyers and are looking at what a split will entail, who gets what and what the finances will be.”
The ageless Brady, still one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks at an unheard of 45, announced he was retiring earlier this year, but then changed his mind to return for another season. Bündchen made it clear she wanted him to hang up his cleats, but she seemed to understand he was happier on the gridiron.