There's a wild Tom Brady retirement theory that actually makes a lot of sense
I don't think there are many people who follow the NFL closely that believe legendary quarterback Tom Brady is going to stay retired in 2022. Brady's retirement announcement was incredibly anticlimatic (a report from Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington in the days before Brady's announcement contributed to the lack of surprise). And it happened so […]
I don't think there are many people who follow the NFL closely that believe legendary quarterback Tom Brady is going to stay retired in 2022.
Brady's retirement announcement was incredibly anticlimatic (a report from Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington in the days before Brady's announcement contributed to the lack of surprise). And it happened so fast after the season. The whole thing was atypical of how Brady typically goes about his business.
Last week, Brady added to speculation that he could eventually return by refusing to close the door on unretiring.
"You never say never," said Brady on the "Lets' Go" podcast.
There's a wild conspiracy theory floating around about Brady's retirement that actually makes a lot of sense.
The theory is essentially that Brady is forcing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make a quarterback decision early this offseason — via trade, free agency, or the draft (which isn't as likely considering Tampa Bay has the No. 27 pick in the first round).
Once Tampa commits to a new quarterback, Brady could then unretire, forcing the Buccaneers to trade him (they'll still own his rights and they'll want to get something for him).
The speculation is that Brady wants to finish his career with the San Francisco 49ers — his hometown team and his favorite team as a child.
San Francisco could trade Jimmy Garoppolo (maybe to the Bucs?), acquire Brady, and give Trey Lance another year to develop (who wouldn't want to spend a year developing behind the greatest quarterback of all time).
Brady would then attempt to bring a Super Bowl championship to San Francisco for the first time since 1995 while ending his football journey where it all started — in northern California.
A lot would have to happen for this theory to be proved correct. But when it comes to Tom Brady, I don't think we can rule anything out.
Featured image via Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
