It appears as if Tom Brady will not ride off into the sunset as he might have hoped, at least if the Buccaneers' season is any indication.
The 45-year-old quarterback, who returned from a brief foray into retirement to play yet another season in Tampa Bay, is in the midst of arguably the worst season of his NFL career. Offensive struggles and a switch to first-year coach Todd Bowles have made for a largely disappointing 2022 season.
The struggles Brady and the Bucs have faced thus far have raised the question: Will the 23-year NFL quarterback, winner of seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVPs, three NFL MVPs and 15 Pro Bowls, finally retire?
For now, it appears as if Brady will ride out the remainder of the season with the struggling Buccaneers. What happens after that is anyone's guess, especially now that Brady announced his divorce from longtime wife Gisele Bundchen
MORE: What's wrong with Tom Brady, Buccaneers' offense?
Only Brady and his family ultimately know what his future in the NFL holds. That said, he has spoken multiple times on what his immediate plans are, as well as his mindset for coming back for this latest (albeit disappointing) season:
Is Tom Brady going to retire?
Brady has said in no uncertain terms that he is not going to retire midseason from the Buccaneers. He first confirmed his intentions ahead of the Bucs' Week 7 game at the Panthers, a shocking 21-3 loss.
Reporters asked Brady about a ProFootballTalk debate that suggested he retire before the season ended. He denied that possibility, even while acknowledging his frustrations with the 2022 season.
"That's really why I'm here: I'm here to announce, finally, you guys pushed me to the brink," he said. "No, I love the sport and I love the teammates, and I wanna go do a great job for this team like I always have. So, no retirement in my future."
Following the Sunday loss to the Panthers, Brady reiterated his intent to stay with the team through any struggle. Brady confirmed that on his Monday episode of the "Let's Go!" podcast with sportscaster Jim Gray.
"I said last week that there's no immediate retirement in my future. There was a retirement in the past, but I moved on from that," Brady said. "I made a commitment to this team and I love this team and I love this organization. I told them in March I was playing and I've never quit on anything in my life.
"And I know a bunch of teammates that we all count on one another to be at our best and to work hard and to put the team first. And that's what you commit to and that's what you want your teammates to commit to as well."
MORE: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen: Inside the relationship, from marriage to kids & more to know
Gray then asked Brady whether he still loved the game, despite the struggles of the season. Again, Brady provided emphatic affirmation:
"Absolutely," Brady said. "I was saying to Alex (Guerrero) this morning, I was doing treatment, man, it's a hard sport we've chosen and it's tough. It challenges you in every area, physically, mentally and emotionally. And certainly at this stage we're in, this is where you've got to dig deep and see what you're all about and see what kind of character you have and see what you believe in and your values as a team.
"Do you stand up for each other when you face adversity or do you not? That's what we're all trying to figure out every time we take the field."
Brady has spoken at length about the competitive drive that made him one of the NFL's all-time greatest quarterbacks — and resulted in him coming back for another season. He acknowledged there were mental challenges to starting another physically demanding season, but said "you can really only be authentic to yourself."
Brady in his podcast compared an NFL season to "deployment in the military," something for which he later apologized. However, his comparison touched on the frustrations Bündchen reportedly has with his return to the NFL.
She has publicly spoken of her desire for him to be a more present father to their children, and also has fears and concerns about the damage his body sustains from playing in the NFL, particularly at his age.
A Wednesday report by Us Weekly suggests Bündchen told Brady to retire or she would be "gone for good." The report did not indicate whether that meant immediately or following the season.
MORE: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen divorce timeline
Has Tom Brady ever had a losing season?
Brady experienced several notable career milestones — all bad — during the Buccaneers' 27-22 loss to the Ravens on "Thursday Night Football."
The loss marked Brady's first three-game losing streak since the 2002 season, just his third year in the league. He was also sacked twice on consecutive plays by Justin Houston before the half, giving him 556 career sacks, the most in NFL history. He broke the record set by former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2021.
Lastly, Brady is now multiple games under .500 for the first time in his storied career. The loss dropped the Bucs to 3-5 on the season with Brady as the starter, meaning Tampa Bay would need to win two games just to get back to an even record. The team would need to win three straight games to get back to a winning record.
Brady has never had a losing season as the starting quarterback, winning no fewer than nine games in a season, assuming he was fully healthy. (He went 1-0 as a starter in 2008, a season in which he missed all but the season-opener. The Patriots went 11-5 that year).
The only losing season Brady has ever had in the NFL was in his rookie season, a year in which he played one game as the Patriots went 5-11 under Drew Bledsoe.
MORE: Tom Brady's timeline of troubles during 2022 season
Tom Brady contract details
Brady in April signed a one-year extension with the Buccaneers with a $15 million annual average salary and $15 million guaranteed. The restructured contract comes with a $47 million dead cap hit.
Brady will become an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2023 season, meaning this could be his final year in the league — if he doesn't sign another contract.
