Tom Brady Return in the Works? QB Warns Young NFL Players: 'Still Got Something to Deal With'
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:
“Is Tom Brady going to un-retire and return to the NFL?”
That seemingly annual question was brought up again on Aug. 14 when the nominally retired Tom Brady posted a vlog chronicling his three days in Paris for the Olympics.
While the vlog was about what you’d expect from a rich and famous retiree (Brady appeared to hit up all the bougie things to do in France with his daughter), there was an interesting snippet that NFL fans swiftly latched onto.
You can watch the whole nine-minute vlog below, but the relevant snippet comes in the show’s intro:
“You’re just flexing for social media these days?” the videographer for “Last Week with Tom Brady” asked the former quarterback. That question was followed by a few clips of a svelte Brady working out on a boat, presumably in French waters.
“I just want to make sure those young bucks in the NFL know that if I still wanted to come out of retirement, they still got something to deal with,” Brady replied with a grin.
Look, Brady is 47-years old, has a cushy and high-paying announcing gig lined up, and the idea of him coming back to football is almost assuredly a joke.
Almost.
You can’t ignore the fact that Brady basically chose his NFL career over his own marriage to supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
More so, it’s pretty obvious that the fans want to see Brady lace up those cleats one more time.
The relevant portion of the above video was captured in a preview snippet posted to social media platform X, and just look at some of these responses:
“[T]ime to come out of Retirement!!!” one X user posted.
“Unretire and come back to New England,” another X user posted, alongside a prayer emoji.
“Come outta retirement,” another user bluntly requested.
There’s one more rather innocuous comment worth drawing attention to:
— Jake (@JacobSutley) August 14, 2024
One user simply tagged the Minnesota Vikings in the comments, and the implication is clear that Brady’s sudden musing — joking or not — about un-retiring could actually be incredibly fortuitous timing for the Vikings.
That’s because on Aug. 14, the Vikings announced that their prized rookie quarterback, J.J. McCarthy would miss the entire season after surgery to repair a torn meniscus — so there’s a sudden glaring need for a professional quarterback in the North Star State.
Furthermore, the Vikings are actually an incredible fit for Brady.
One of the main reasons Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 was because of the lack of offensive line help and wide receiver talent in New England. Tampa boasted both, not unlike Minnesota currently.
The Vikings feature a pair of incredible tackles (Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill), who would be key in protecting Brady’s 47-year-old blind spot. The Vikings also employ talented sophomore receiver Jordan Addison and arguably the best receiver in all of football, Justin Jefferson.
The talent’s there. The fit’s there. The need’s there.
That being said, is Brady’s heart there? Probably not, given how final this retirement actually seems.
But knowing how maniacally competitive Brady can be … will he truly be able to ignore such a tantalizing opportunity in Minnesota?
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