Skip to main content

Tom Brady is coming out of NFL retirement and will return to the Bucs

caption: Quarterback Tom Brady says he's putting back on his Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. Here, Brady is pictured after an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, in August 2021.
Enlarge Icon
Quarterback Tom Brady says he's putting back on his Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. Here, Brady is pictured after an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, in August 2021.
AP

Tom Brady just can't quit. Not two months after the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced his retirement from professional football, Brady is running back to the Bucs for his 23rd NFL season.

In announcing his return on Sunday evening, the quarterback said he's got some "unfinished business."


"These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," he tweeted Sunday evening. "That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa."

The 44-year-old will return to the Bucs — the last team he played on before retirement — as the oldest active NFL player.

Brady officially announced his retirement on Feb. 1, following a stunning 22 NFL seasons and seven Super Bowl titles — most of which happened during his time with the New England Patriots.

At the time, he said football requires a 100% commitment and that it was time for him to spend more time with his wife, Gisele Bündchen, and his three children.

Forty days later, he's changed his mind. [Copyright 2022 NPR]

Why you can trust KUOW