Tom Brady is retired

Anthologos

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Well said, the article hit me this way too a little bit.

On the other hand, as much as the article wanted to portray Montana as being filled with bitterness and an abyss of longing, I thought the actual events reported made him sound pretty well-adjusted overall. It took him a while, but he found a second career for which he has a passion and keeps him engaged. He has a ton of support and closeness with family and friends, travels all the time. He's 66, so of course there are going to be some funerals in his life too, but also loves his grandchildren, his children love him, he has more opportunities than he can count, and he still stops traffic on the streets of San Francisco. The author had to work real hard to take him out of his normal mood of joy and focus, if only to make the point that he could still be brought to thoughts of regret. But who among us can reach our 60s without some wish for more youth, more glory, more accomplishment? If we each have the things Montana has in his life today, minus all the money and fame, just days full of love, food, travel, friends and family, who would look at us and say "man, he's bitter"?

[...]
Also very well said, and more measured in response. I agree...having lost both my parents recently, as well as a close friend, I leap into melancholy at the first opportunity. Not a great place to be.

On a lighter note, I remember the 2005–06 arguments (not on this site, but on another lesser site) of people who believed Marc Bulger was the better QB--*much better*--and others who lamented us not having the great J. P. Losman...interesting times.
 

catomatic

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OTOH--In the alternate universe, does Brady only play for 3 more seasons if he stays? ("Only," I know). How good is the team around him/How far do they go? Where is the franchise right now, assuming he would've retired at the same time. I dont know the answers, but there's a universe of not-unreasonable answers that lead to "BB was also right to hold firm."
My method of consoling myself was to interpret the split not as over Tom’s money, years or continuing viability but that there was a mutual recognition between them that offensive weapons were desperately needed to maximize Tom’s chances in the twilight of his career. The Pats were just up against the cap and paying the piper after some weak offensive drafts and an extraordinarily improbable run of cap management that just could no longer be sustained in a way that would support his final stretch. Maybe I’m guilty of sepia-tinting things with this take on it, but that’s how I synthesized what I read — here and everywhere — and managed to avoid revisiting Orr/Fisk to Chicago type feelings.
 

Van Everyman

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Wtf is MSN going on about? The “retirement paperwork” is the most meaningless formality ever. As I understand it, that shit can be reversed at any time.
 

djbayko

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Tom Favre? Man, why do you have to go out like this?

Let me guess. He thought he could win Gisele back, but now that he knows for sure that she's gone, he's turning back to his first love.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Tom Favre? Man, why do you have to go out like this?

Let me guess. He thought he could win Gisele back, but now that he knows for sure that she's gone, he's turning back to his first love.
Don't worry, it'll all be explained on a hard hitting "Let's Go!" Podcast with Jim Gray asking all the hard questions and not the namby-pamby bullshit.

After all the weird shit that Brady's done since about 2015, starting with Concussion Water and can't get sunburned because he's hydrated, to leaving NE (which I don't blame him for) to the Miami rumors, getting Arians fired, "retiring", I don't know why anyone is surprised at any of this no matter how it turns out. He's been "going out like this" for nearly a decade.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Someone must have misheard. Brady going to the Miami Dolphins just means he's going to sell concussion water to Tua/Ross.
 

Traut

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The second he said he wouldn’t work for Fox until fall of 2024 - I thought he’s back. The 49ers make way more sense than the Dolphins. But the opportunity for ownership and no state income tax may make a lot of sense for Tom.

The thing that’s going on is he has no identity outside of football. We see this all of the time in the legal profession where 80 years olds schlep into court. They have made their money, they are past their prime - and yet giving it up is a fate worse than death to them.
 

BaseballJones

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The second he said he wouldn’t work for Fox until fall of 2024 - I thought he’s back. The 49ers make way more sense than the Dolphins. But the opportunity for ownership and no state income tax may make a lot of sense for Tom.

The thing that’s going on is he has no identity outside of football. We see this all of the time in the legal profession where 80 years olds schlep into court. They have made their money, they are past their prime - and yet giving it up is a fate worse than death to them.
That's probably all true... BUT... Even Tom must know that he loses all kinds of credibility by doing this twice in a row, especially the way he did it the second time. Super sincere, even addressed the fact that he had retired once and come back, and was like, nope, I promise you, this is it. You can't be that "sincere", and then for the second straight time, pull a reverse Uno card on everyone.

I know he is immersed in football, but at some point his personal credibility has to matter to him too, right?
 

sezwho

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That's probably all true... BUT... Even Tom must know that he loses all kinds of credibility by doing this twice in a row, especially the way he did it the second time. Super sincere, even addressed the fact that he had retired once and come back, and was like, nope, I promise you, this is it. You can't be that "sincere", and then for the second straight time, pull a reverse Uno card on everyone.

I know he is immersed in football, but at some point his personal credibility has to matter to him too, right?
What’s price for creditably? I mean maybe it matters a little, but not against the potential of winning SB again.

He ‘retired’ when he had no winning options, but if one presents he’ll be back.
 

Traut

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That's probably all true... BUT... Even Tom must know that he loses all kinds of credibility by doing this twice in a row, especially the way he did it the second time. Super sincere, even addressed the fact that he had retired once and come back, and was like, nope, I promise you, this is it. You can't be that "sincere", and then for the second straight time, pull a reverse Uno card on everyone.

I know he is immersed in football, but at some point his personal credibility has to matter to him too, right?
He doesn’t care one bit what anyone thinks. Why should he? He has more credibility on the football field than he could ever erode even if he played like Zack Wilson in 2023.

He either can and wants to play or he can’t or doesn’t.

High performers are just wired differently.
 

Ralphwiggum

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Yeah, I mean as a huge Brady fan my preference would be for him to stay in a line and either play or don't. But, his decision to play or not doesn't really impact the Pat's future plans either way so what do I care? He's entitled to make his own decision and shouldn't be bothered by what other's think.

I do hope it is the 49ers and not the Dolphins, though. Seeing him on the Dolphins would blow.
 

cornwalls@6

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He left(this time) still near the top, and with his health seemingly in tact. I think he’d be a fool to keep playing Russian roulette with that. Despite the protections for QBs that exist today, they still get hit. A lot. At some point, a dude in his middle to late 40s getting blasted by dudes in their 20s has a good chance of ending very badly. It would be horrible if it ended that way for him. But, as noted above, he may not have any purpose or identity at all without the game…………. Or Eisen/whoever is whispering in his ear, is just completely full of shit. Really hope, and suspect, it’s the latter.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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He's so good with social media. That's about the best way possible to squelch a rumor without calling anyone out.
 

cornwalls@6

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Yeah, that was a perfect response. He can’t take the bait and respond seriously every time this comes up. He should just copy and paste that, updating the age of the kitten as the off season moves along.
 

RG33

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If he comes back, again, I am changing my license plate. There, I said it.
 

Van Everyman

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Zolak is on board with this being a real possibility:
View: https://twitter.com/profootballtalk/status/1633831913491415040?s=46&t=4DK5sD-8gsSKFExcsnEJqg


Brady may go to Miami. I think that’s in play. I do. I think the possibility of him coming out of retirement is definitely 100 percent in play,” Zolak said. “You can sit there and look at the kitten tweet from yesterday. Don’t buy that.”

Zolak noted that several media people with connections in the football world are saying they’re hearing that Brady could play in the right situation.

“This isn’t me saying it,” Zolak said. “This isn’t someone close to Brady. It started with Rich Eisen. Eisen’s at the Super Bowl. Multiple people dropped the hints. Colin Cowherd, he knows some Fox people. I don’t think he’s gonna call games. How does that deal get done? How do you sign a guy to that $375 million, 10-year contract to call games, he’s not even gonna do it next year. I know his handlers have moved to Miami. It’s built for him. He’s looking at private schools for his kids. Cowherd talks about the San Francisco offense. He’s not talking about San Francisco. He’s talking about Mike McDaniel in Miami.”
 

joe dokes

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Zolak noted that several media people with connections in the football world are saying they’re hearing that Brady could play in the right situation.

“This isn’t me saying it,” Zolak said. “This isn’t someone close to Brady. It started with Rich Eisen. Eisen’s at the Super Bowl. Multiple people dropped the hints. Colin Cowherd, he knows some Fox people. I don’t think he’s gonna call games. How does that deal get done? How do you sign a guy to that $375 million, 10-year contract to call games, he’s not even gonna do it next year. I know his handlers have moved to Miami. It’s built for him. He’s looking at private schools for his kids. Cowherd talks about the San Francisco offense. He’s not talking about San Francisco. He’s talking about Mike McDaniel in Miami.”
Every schmuck with a mouth at the combine probably said some variation of the same thing, "I dont know. He came back last year. He's weird. He might do it again. He certainly liked Miami before." And here we are. It's impossible to prove "never" or "no." And it's never really official until they're dead. Someone offers Doug Flutie 500 million dollars guaranteed tomorrow, he's in.
Doesn't mean Brady *won't* do it, but none of the "things people are saying" mean anything.
 

Van Everyman

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Every schmuck with a mouth at the combine probably said some variation of the same thing, "I dont know. He came back last year. He's weird. He might do it again. He certainly liked Miami before." And here we are. It's impossible to prove "never" or "no." And it's never really official until they're dead. Someone offers Doug Flutie 500 million dollars guaranteed tomorrow, he's in.
Doesn't mean Brady *won't* do it, but none of the "things people are saying" mean anything.
Well, you know, other than Zolak reporting that Brady's handlers have moved to Miami and he's looking at private schools for his kids there. He may be *wrong* in reporting those things, but that's more than idle speculation.

I actually wonder whether the ownership thing with Ross is back in play, which allows Brady to keep the door open. You don't have to squint too hard to imagine Brady getting an ownership stake in Miami and being forced out of retirement when Tua's inevitable concussion happens next season (imagine if Brady had been waiting in the wings when Tua went down last year).

The only piece that doesn't really work in that scenario is his Fox contract but as Zo suggests, that seems kind of nebulous anyway.
 

cornwalls@6

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Every schmuck with a mouth at the combine probably said some variation of the same thing, "I dont know. He came back last year. He's weird. He might do it again. He certainly liked Miami before." And here we are. It's impossible to prove "never" or "no." And it's never really official until they're dead. Someone offers Doug Flutie 500 million dollars guaranteed tomorrow, he's in.
Doesn't mean Brady *won't* do it, but none of the "things people are saying" mean anything.
Agree. The word salad of " The possibility is definitely 100% in play" is basically code for " I'm just pulling this out of my ass, and I don't really know anything".
 

BigJimEd

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You don't have to squint too hard to imagine Brady getting an ownership stake in Miami
Other than the fact that it would require approval from 3/4 of the owners, sure. Squint all you want, it's not happening.


Key phrase from Zolak, who has zero insight on this topic:
“This isn’t someone close to Brady."
 

joe dokes

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Well, you know, other than Zolak reporting that Brady's handlers have moved to Miami and he's looking at private schools for his kids there. He may be *wrong* in reporting those things, but that's more than idle speculation.
I dont know about the handlers, but as far as has been reported they looked at one school (before the SB, IIRC). And didn't both he and the now-ex buy separate mansions in Miami before he announced his retirement (after they split)?
I'm still going with the 21st century reporters' mantra: "never a penalty for being wrong; but being 1st lasts forever."
 

Patriot_Reign

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Today on F&M Felger said he spoke to someone today who is close to the Brady family. Person confirmed that he's working out and indeed does want to play for the Dolphins. However the Dolphins told him that after the heat they got from the tampering stuff they have to pass.

Whole thing is so strange, he announced his retirement like what, a month ago? Why not just say you're taking time to figure out the next step and see what options present themselves.

It's genuinely kind of sad that he's so obsessed with playing he can't move on to other things in his life.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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I don’t know what is really true but I assume when he said he was retiring he absolutely 100 percent believed it. This is what happens though. I do it all the time when starting a diet.
 

nattysez

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Today on F&M Felger said he spoke to someone today who is close to the Brady family. Person confirmed that he's working out and indeed does want to play for the Dolphins. However the Dolphins told him that after the heat they got from the tampering stuff they have to pass.
The Dolphins have already been penalized for their dalliance with Brady, so worrying about the PR fallout of him asking the Bucs to trade him to them seems like an excuse.
 

Justthetippett

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Today on F&M Felger said he spoke to someone today who is close to the Brady family. Person confirmed that he's working out and indeed does want to play for the Dolphins. However the Dolphins told him that after the heat they got from the tampering stuff they have to pass.

Whole thing is so strange, he announced his retirement like what, a month ago? Why not just say you're taking time to figure out the next step and see what options present themselves.

It's genuinely kind of sad that he's so obsessed with playing he can't move on to other things in his life.
That part about the Dolphins position doesn't make a lot of sense. There are plenty of ways they could do this without tampering issues arising.
 

Patriot_Reign

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That part about the Dolphins position doesn't make a lot of sense. There are plenty of ways they could do this without tampering issues arising.
The tampering already happened.
There have also been whispers of Brady joining the ownership group so maybe they just feel it's all too much trouble to have him play there.
 

brandonchristensen

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Here's part of an AI-generated Brady stand up special. Just one of the gems:

(Paraphrased a bit) "I'm on the dating apps right now but I don't know what I'm doing. A woman on Bumble sent me a message that said that I look like Tom Brady. I replied that I am Tom Brady. She told me to prove it. So, I went to her house and let the air out of her footballs."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZbARYk5ec
That’s really funny.
 

djbayko

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Unrelated to the post above, i guess a one day contract isn't happening ?
Why do you think that? Most players who have signed a one-day contract to retire did so well after March. I'd assume that the Patriots would want to have some sort of celebration at the stadium in conjunction with the signing, so time isn't of the essence, is it?

Derrick Mason - June 11
Brian Dawkins - April 28
Torry Holt - April 4
Fred Taylor - September 2
Ike Hilliard - July 30
David Tyree - July 29
Aaron Glenn - July 28
Joe Horn - June 25
Isaac Bruce - June 7
Zach Thomas - May
Larry Allen - August
Jessie Armstead - June
Jerry Rice - Aiugust
Tim Brown - July
Art Monk - July