GFootball star Tom Brady endured 40 days as a sports retiree – and then announced his comeback in the NFL. “In the past two months I’ve noticed that my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” wrote the most successful professional in NFL history with seven Super Bowl victories on Sunday on his social media channels . He will play another season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he won the Super Bowl two years ago and failed to try again two months ago against eventual winners the Los Angeles Rams. “We have unfinished business,” Brady wrote. That means as much as: There is still something to do.
Not only in the USA, but also in Germany there should have been cheering among all fans who heard the news before going to bed: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already been confirmed as one of the two teams that will host the first NFL play in Germany. Exactly when and against whom is still open, but Brady will probably be there now and massively increase the excitement about the game.
Love for the teammates
However, it is unclear how competitive the team will be with which Brady wants to win the Super Bowl for the eighth time in his career – and nothing else will be the goal. Whether his buddy Rob Gronkowski will continue his career and continue playing in Tampa is just as open as the question of how the Bucs want to bind the numerous other free transfer professionals to themselves for another season. According to ESPN, the squad is currently $11 million more expensive to maintain than the rules allow. Brady certainly has pass receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as teammates.
From March 16, the teams can officially sign players, and the unexpected clarity in the most important position will definitely help the Bucs. “Now that this decision has been made, we will move forward with our plans and reload the squad for another path to the title,” announced manager Jason Licht. There were initially no details on Brady’s contract situation and it was unclear how the Bucs would deal with the contract signed a year ago.
Brady proved last season that he is still one of the absolute best in sport and that his age has made him slower but no less dangerous. No one in the league had as many passing yards (5,316), touchdown passes (43), successful passes (485), and passing attempts (719) as the Californian star. He also holds the NFL record in each of these categories. “He’s still playing at championship level and has been as productive as anyone in the league this past season,” said coach Bruce Arians, speaking of being “thrilled” about the return.
Brady’s work ethic and discipline are legendary in the league, arguably surpassing those of Cristiano Ronaldo, for whose record-breaking game he was in Manchester at the weekend and then snapped on the pitch with the Portuguese and numerous other United pros. Both the Premier League club and the Buccaneers are owned by the Glazer family, who may have found out about Brady’s plans on Saturday.
On February 1, when he declared his resignation, he still argued that he no longer wanted to show the necessary one hundred percent dedication. Instead of the many hours on the training ground, traveling and in the gym, he wanted to spend his time with his wife Gisele Bundchen and their three children Jack, Benny and Vivi.
Yet his “supportive family” surfaced in the resignation-of-resignation statement, as did the love for his teammates. Brady didn’t explicitly mention his love for wins, successes and records. He didn’t have to.
