Tom Brady

Tom Brady's eventual retirement and rumors surrounding it will be a major storyline until he leaves the game for good, and the 45-year-old quarterback addressed that Monday on the latest episode of his Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray.

While NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the 2022 campaign "is expected to be his final season in the NFL," Brady wasn't as definitive:

"I think for me, I'm just gonna take it day by day. I'll evaluate everything as it comes. One of these days, they're gonna be right. I will say that. One of the days, if you make enough predictions and so forth, and I think we've all kind of talked about the predictions that have not come true. But I think for me, the ability to play and love what I'm doing in Year 23 with a new group of teammates and a really committed team, it's really fun for me. And I still enjoy … I feel the joy. I feel the happiness. I feel the camaraderie."

On the field, Brady seems like he might be able to play until he's 50.

All he did last season was lead the Buccaneers to the NFC South crown while completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns with six interceptions. Nobody in the NFL threw for more yards or touchdowns, though he fell short of what would have been the fourth MVP of his illustrious career.

Yet this offseason was different. Brady retired, unretired and then left the Buccaneers for 11 days during training camp in a move that was met with plenty of scrutiny.

There is also quite the retirement plan waiting for him: He agreed to a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox to contribute to the network's NFL coverage when his playing days are behind him.

Yet Brady said he is taking it one day at a time, and his first day of the 2022 season ended with a 19-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. It was far from his best individual showing, as he finished 18-of-27 for 212 yards and one touchdown with one interception, but the outcome was never in doubt down the stretch.

Tampa Bay figures to be a Super Bowl contender as long as No. 12 is behind center.

How long he will remains to be seen.

It's apparently going to take more than one turbulent offseason for the rest of the NFL to get rid of Tom Brady.

The ageless wonder was under the spotlight more than anyone else in the league this offseason when he retired, un-retired and then stepped away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during training camp. Yet he is right back where he always is when the games count and led Tampa Bay to a 19-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's season opener.

Maybe the Cowboys can defeat the 45-year-old sometime in his next 23 seasons because they haven't done so yet.

It was far from Brady's best individual performance of his legendary career, as he finished 18-of-27 for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but social media still had plenty of praise for the all-time great:

Tampa Bay was also working through some attrition, as both offensive lineman Donovan Smith (elbow) and wide receiver Chris Godwin (hamstring) were ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime. Considering there were already injury concerns along the offensive line coming into the game, Brady had to focus on getting the ball out as quickly as possible.

It didn't always work with Micah Parsons notching two sacks, but a deep ball to Julio Jones and a perfectly placed throw over Trevon Diggs to Mike Evans in the corner of the end zone stood out.

It wasn't all Brady, as Leonard Fournette pounded the Cowboys defense to the tune of 127 yards on 21 carries. The visitors' defense also flummoxed Dak Prescott, who struggled on his way to 14-of-29 passing for 134 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception before exiting with an apparent injury.

Brady and the Buccaneers will now look to keep the momentum rolling with a showdown against the division-rival New Orleans Saints in Week 2.

At 45 years old, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is nearing retirement.

Brady retired this winter before deciding to unretire and return for another season. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning doesn't anticipate that the seven-time Super Bowl champion will set up a farewell tour by announcing that it's his last season, whether his final year is 2022 or another year.

Manning said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show:

"I don't see him coming out and saying, 'this is my last year' and doing the video tributes and bringing the rocking chair like they did for Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. I don't see him going that approach, but I'm sure it's on his mind, and from that standpoint that's probably a good thing."

Brady has been vocal about his desire to continue playing in the NFL as long as he's competing at a high level. So, while the 2022 season could be Brady's last year in the NFL, we likely won't know when he'll officially decide to retire.

Brady and the Buccaneers open the 2022 campaign on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons said what a lot of defenders are thinking ahead of his team's season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"We got to get him out of this league," Parsons said of the 45-year-old Tom Brady, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "He's been dominating this league too long. ... He wants to kill you. He wants to step on your throat like you’re a roach."

It seemed like Parsons and other defenders got their wish this offseason when Brady announced he was retiring after 22 seasons.

However, the future Hall of Famer eventually changed his mind and is back leading the Buccaneers for a third campaign. All he did in those first two years in the NFC was win the Super Bowl and then lead the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown throws.

In all, Brady's resume with the Buccaneers and New England Patriots includes seven Lombardi Trophies, five Super Bowl MVPs, three league MVPs and 15 Pro Bowl nods.

"I've seen the Hulk get beat up," Parsons continued. "I've seen Thor get beat up. I've seen Captain America get beat up. But they always get back up and find a way to get to their destination. … (Brady) gets beat up, but he gets back up."

Whether Parsons and the Dallas defense can beat Brady up like that is one of the biggest storylines in the NFL's opening week. While the all-time great showed no signs of slowing down last year, he will be under some scrutiny after he took time away from the Buccaneers during training camp.

The Cowboys and Buccaneers could be two of the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFC after Dallas went 12-5 and won the NFC East in 2021. Parsons was a major part of that as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and his ability to blitz the passer, help stuff the run and even drop back into coverage makes him one of the most valuable defenders in the league.

And he's apparently ready for that league to no longer have Brady in it.

Tom Brady needed just one drive to show he's in top form during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

The legendary quarterback opened the game by completing six of eight passes for 44 yards, proving he hasn't missed a beat at 45 years old. He connected with veteran receiver Julio Jones for the first time in game action. The Bucs marched down the field but settled for a field goal, and Brady was pulled for backup Blaine Gabbert after just one series.

Fans and pundits on social media loved everything about Brady's performance on Saturday, as he showed he's ready for the 2022 season.

Brady and the Buccaneers are trying to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. After briefly retiring earlier this offseason, Brady showed Saturday that he made the right decision to return to Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers will begin their quest for another title in their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

Tom Brady returned from his 11-day absence at Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp and apparently didn't miss a beat.

Tight end Cameron Brate praised the quarterback's work in practice Monday:

"I'm sure wherever Tom was, he was working out still and getting his reps in," Brate told reporters. "If anyone can get away with the 11-day break during training camp, it's Tom. He came back kind of firing on all cylinders again today. So, yeah, we're all excited he's back and ready to move on."

Brady had left the team for personal reasons, which the Buccaneers coaching staff approved. He did joke on Twitter about the rumor that he was filming The Masked Singer, but he has yet to disclose the reason why he was away.

Either way, the 45-year-old is now back with the team while preparing for the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

After Brady led the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns last year, there should be few concerns about the veteran heading into his 23rd season.

Tom Brady was prepared to join the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, and team owner Mark Davis "wanted it to happen," according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

During the alternate "GronkCast" feed of UFC 278, UFC President Dana White made an eye-opening revelation. He said he had helped orchestrate a deal to bring Brady and Rob Gronkowski to the Raiders, except then-Raiders head coach Jon Gruden "blew the deal up."

Davis pleaded ignorance when responding to the comments.

"That was what—two to three years ago or something?" he said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Ed Graney and Adam Hill. "I don’t know. Talk to Dana. I remember that Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay. That’s basically what I remember."

Florio followed up Tuesday to report Davis "knew exactly what was happening" as it related to Brady specifically, and White was heavily involved. Per Florio, he "brokered the deal with both sides" and "served as the man who was trying to get Brady to Las Vegas to play for Mark Davis."

The Miami Dolphins were just investigated in part for tampering allegations centered around Brady. They lost a first-round pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024, and team owner Stephen Ross was suspended through Oct. 17 and fined $1.5 million.

That penalty gives Davis plenty of incentive to claim he has a short memory and can't recall any official or unofficial pursuit of Brady.

His denial may not be enough to ward off an inquiry by the NFL, though, especially in light of Florio's reporting.

Tom Brady's hiatus is over.

Jenna Laine of ESPN reported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is in the team facility and is expected to practice Monday.

Brady has been away from the team since Aug. 11 to deal with an undisclosed personal matter.

The Bucs have offered no explanation for Brady's absence, leading to widespread speculation on social media. One conspiracy theory wondered whether Brady was away from training camp to film The Masked Singer, given his signing of a massive deal with Fox for his post-playing career this offseason.

Brady's return Monday falls directly in line with coach Todd Bowles' announcement that the quarterback would be excused through the team's second preseason game. Bowles also expressed confidence Brady would be back "early" this week when questioned by reporters after the Bucs' preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

All of this essentially confirms the fact the Buccaneers knew where Brady was going when he was coming back and what exactly he'd be doing during his nearly two-week hiatus. Brady had never taken a similar break before at any point during his NFL career, so it stands to reason he'd have a better excuse than filming a reality show.

That said, the extended silence is only going to raise further questions once Brady speaks with reporters after practice.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly expected to return to the team Monday after leaving training camp for personal reasons, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport added that head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Sunday that Brady would make his return soon.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported that Brady would return "very shortly."

Brady has been away from the team for each of their first two preseason games.

Bowles told reporters Friday he wasn't concerned about the situation.

"Do I look worried?" he said. "I'm not worried, so I don't know why anyone else would be worried. I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I've consistently said it would be sometime after the Tennessee Titans game (on Saturday)."

That was slightly different messaging than Thursday, when Bowles told reporters there was "no definitive date for me. We'll think on it. We'll keep in touch and find out."

Bowles added the team wasn't releasing details about Brady's potential return because it was possible that something might arise that would delay it. Given all of the current speculation about his absence, Bowles didn't want to fan the flames any further.

Regardless of when Brady returns, he'll be coming back to a patchwork offensive line dealing with a number of injuries:

That will be a concern for the 45-year-old, who has continued to play at a high level but certainly doesn't have the mobility to deal with a consistently collapsed pocket.

Last season, Brady had one of the best statistical seasons of his long and illustrious career, throwing for a career-high 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 67.56 percent of his passes.

He'll yet again have a dangerous suite of weapons in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Leonard Fournette, though longtime running mate Rob Gronkowski retired in the offseason.

Given that Brady has plenty of experience with the majority of that group—and given his pedigree in general—missing a few weeks in training camp shouldn't have much impact on the offensive execution come the regular season.

And despite the wild speculation about why he's missed time, it appears his hiatus is coming to an end.