REPORT: Tom Brady Considered Returning to Only One Team Before Retiring

Tom Brady
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Dylan Gwinn

There are 27 NFL teams – give or take – who would drop their current QB’s in a heartbeat if Tom Brady gave even the slightest hint of wanting to play for them. However, according to a report, there’s only one team Brady considered paying for before deciding to retire.

As ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reports, for Brady it was Bucs or bust.

Tom Brady informed Bucs today at 6 am he’d be retiring,” Darlington wrote on Twitter. “One aspect I’d been mentioning for a bit now: Brady for months implied to many close to him that it was going to be either a return to Tampa or retirement. Tough for many to believe, including those close, but he meant it.”

Following the Bucs’ 31-14 demolition at the hands of the Cowboys during Wild Card weekend, many speculated that if Brady returned, it would likely not be to Tampa. In fact, several team sources were cited saying they felt like his end-of-season speech was “goodbye” and that they would be “surprised” if he came back.

Well, that turned out to be prophetic.

However, to the shock of many, Brady never considered anyone other than Tampa.

“Hey guys, I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring. For good,” Brady said in a retirement video posted on social media Wednesday morning. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first.

“You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year. I really thank you guys so much, to every single one of you for supporting me: My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream.”

Brady’s favorite team as a kid, the 49ers, would have been an interesting possibility for him had he decided to return. The Las Vegas Raiders were also discussed by the media as a possible destination.

The future Hall of Famer won seven Super Bowls in his 23-year NFL career. However, despite all the fortune and fame amassed during that time, there’s still more fortune awaiting with the $375 million contract he has awaiting him via his contract with Fox Sports.

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