Tom Brady hijacked a busy sports Sunday with an evening announcement that he’s ending his retirement after a whopping 40 days. It happened to be the second time the NFL legend went viral that day.
Prior to posting his “unfinished business” tweet, a brief conversation between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo began circulating on social media.
The short clip showed Brady coyly react to Ronaldo asking him if he was “finished” playing football -- the American kind.
Brady inhaled and gave a noncommittal head tilt.
This occurred less than two weeks after Bucs GM Jason Licht said the team would “leave the light on for Brady” if No. 12 had a change of heart, so Brady’s response to Ronaldo naturally raised some eyebrows.
That Brady was enjoying a day at Old Trafford was also a clue something was in the works. After all, Man U is owned by the Glazer family, which also owns the Buccaneers.
Brady has won seven Super Bowls, more championships than any NFL franchise has won, including Super Bowl LV with the Bucs in Tampa just two years ago following a two-decade career with the New England Patriots.
The NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, among many other records, will be 45 at the start of the 2022 season.
Here are a few questions we have in the wake of Brady’s unretirement.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT TAMPA’S OFF-SEASON PLANS?
Though his “retirement” ultimately amounted to an extended off-season vacation – he didn’t miss a single game, practice or team meeting – the timing of his announcement makes plenty of sense since NFL free agency opens Wednesday, and players and teams can begin negotiating Monday in the league’s legal tampering window.
Tampa’s entire front office must be in a chipper mood. They no longer need to search for a new QB, plus Brady being back serves as an excellent recruiting tool for the pending free agent class.
The first domino fell in the form of centre Ryan Jensen, who agreed to a new three-year deal. Another year of Brady only increases the chances that tight end Rob Gronkowski and/or running back Leonard Fournette return to Tampa for one more run. Same goes for wide receiver Chris Godwin who the Bucs had been trying to re-sign even when they thought Brady was retired.
The team will need to draft, sign or trade for a pair of new guards with Ali Marpet retired and Alex Cappa reportedly set to join the Bengals. They won’t be able to bring back all their free agents, but would this entice one or both of Ndamukong Suh or Jason Pierre-Paul to re-up? Bringing back defensive backs Carlton Davis and/or Jordan Whitehead would be more beneficial long-term but fitting them under the cap will be a tall task.
The team currently holds picks in rounds one through five in 2022, plus two seventh-rounders.
“Tom Brady loves to play football as much as anyone I have ever been around,” Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians wrote in a statement. “As Tom said, his place right now is on the football field. He is still playing at a championship level and was as productive as anyone in the league last season. We are ecstatic that he decided to continue playing and working toward winning another championship.”
HOW DOES BRADY’S RETURN IMPACT THE BETTING MARKET?
If you read the tea leaves correctly prior to Sunday’s announcement and placed a timely future bet on Tampa, then congratulations because you struck massive value. In the days and weeks following Brady’s “retirement” the Bucs’ 2023 Super Bowl odds could be found anywhere from +2500 to as long as +5000 depending on the day and sportsbook.
As of Monday afternoon, the updated betting odds imply Tampa Bay will battle with the Green Bay Packers for top seed in the NFC just like this past season. Brady and the Bucs are now in the +800 range to win the Super Bowl, equal to or even slightly ahead of the Packers plus all other NFC teams on most books.
Unsurprisingly, Brady once again finds himself in the top tier of MVP candidates along with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, all of whom have odds shorter than 10-to-1.
The three-time league MVP came close to winning a fourth this past season, finishing second in votes to reigning back-to-back MVP Rodgers.
Brady led the NFL in yards and touchdowns this past season and set a new NFL record with 485 completions.
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE NFC SOUTH?
In short, pretty much exactly where we left it at the end of the season. The good news for the Bucs is the NFC South is among the weaker divisions in football.
Whilst Brady was technically retired, the Bucs remained the odds-on favourites to win the division. Now that he’s officially back, those odds went from approximately +150 to in the vicinity of a chalky -250.
The Saints begin the post-Sean Payton era with a question mark behind centre. Do they re-sign Jameis Winston or go in another direction in free agency? There have been rumours that New Orleans is among the teams showing some degree of interest in Deshaun Watson. If the Saints pulled off a move like that it would add a compelling layer of drama to the division.
The Panthers are perhaps the most aggressive pursuers of Watson currently. If Carolina can find a high-end, reliable starter they could be a team capable of a quick turnaround.
The Falcons, meanwhile, are setting up for what could be a long season with an emphasis on rebuilding.
Brady has won a division title in all but two seasons as a starting quarterback and has never finished worse than second in his division or below .500.
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