Tom Brady Reportedly Heading Into His Final Season in NFL

Tom Brady retired in February only to unretire in March. But it looks like the end is near for the seven-super Super Bowl champion quarterback as 2022 will be his final season in the NFL as a player, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Brady has never said it publicly, but Rapoport said multiple parties believe 2022 will be the end for the 45-year-old quarterback.

This comes after Brady missed 11-days of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp before returning for the final week of the preseason. Rapoport said Brady spent the majority of the 11-day hiatus in the Bahamas at a private resort with his family. This is a mid-retirement promise Brady made to his wife, Gisele Bündchen, as he said he would vacation with them in August for the first time in 20 years. 

This week, Brady was asked if this will be his final season. "I think we're all getting one day older at a time," Brady said. "We're all not sure whether we're going to be here next year or not, that's the reality for every player, every coach, every parent. You just never know. We should all take advantage of the opportunity that we have."

Brady is not under contract with the Buccaneers for the 2023 season. The only other time Brady was not under contract for the ensuing year was in 2019 when was with the New England Patriots. In 2020, Brady signed with the Buccaneers and led the team to a Super Bowl for the 2020 season. 

Brady could return for another year depending on how the season goes. But the one thing to note is Brady has a job waiting for him once he retires as he will be an analyst for Fox Sports. Earlier this year, Brady spoke to Variety about how landed the broadcasting job. 

"[Fox Sports] approached me after the season. And there's a lot of history that I have with Fox," Brady said. "I spoke with their executives, and I really had to evaluate if that's what I wanted to commit to. I have a very unique perspective on football and how it should be played, and what good plays look like and what bad plays look like. I feel like I can still have a great impact on the game. I could stay in the game, doing what I love to do, talking about this incredible sport.: