Well, that didn’t last long.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has announced he is coming back for a 23rd NFL season, just 40 days after saying goodbye to the sport he has dominated as a member of the Buccaneers and New England Patriots.
Brady made the announcement over social media on Sunday.
The fact that Brady is back isn’t all that surprising. His retirement did seem rather forced and rushed, something we are not used to seeing from someone as calculated and precise as Brady.
Plus, he has become addicted to the sport and his pursuit of greatness. Let’s face it, as much as he genuinely loves his family and despite his other business ventures he has lined up for when (or I guess we should say, if) he actually retires, football is what gets him excited each morning. It’s what motivates him to wake up each day and go to work with the same enthusiasm as he did during his early days on the Patriots. He is a football man, and that will never change.
Naturally, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht was ecstatic that the GOAT had decided to put the pads on for at least one more season.
"[Head coach Bruce Arians] and I have had plenty of conversations with Tom recently that led us to believe there was a realistic chance he would want to come back," Licht said. "Tom is the greatest quarterback of all time who is still playing at an elite level. With this decision now made, we will continue to move forward with our offseason plans to reload this roster for another championship run."
But perhaps the person most excited that Brady is back is Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. During their NFC Divisional matchup, Brady threw a touchdown pass to Mike Evans with Ramsey in coverage, which at the time was Brady’s last touchdown pass. Needless to say, Ramsey is thankful he will not hold the distinction of being the last defender to allow a Tom Brady passing score.
THANK YOU❕ throw that last touchdown on somebody else 😂 https://t.co/oum3tYbjbl
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) March 13, 2022
Thanks to Brady’s return, the Buccaneers odds of winning the Super Bowl improved drastically, from +2500 to plus +850. Only the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs (number one and two, respectively) currently have better odds than the Bucs at taking home the Lombardi Trophy next season.