When Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL back in February, there was some heavy skepticism among fans and media, especially with Brady oddly refusing to close the door on a potential return. and it seems like people may have been right to be a little skeptical.
Brady obviously came out of retirement once before when he returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year after retiring following the 2021 season. And even though he claimed he was retiring “for good” this time, he recently admitted that he was “about to unretire in May.”
On Sunday morning, Brady posted a series of photographs on Instagram showing some highlights of his first year away from football with most of the photos including his family.
“Looking back on 2023 grateful for every moment. Cherishing the highs, learning from the lows, and looking forward to what’s coming next. I’m blessed to have family and friends filled with so much love, joy, and compassion surrounding me. As you get older, you realize that this is really the only thing that matters, and I’ll never take these people for granted. Hug your kids, call your parents, tell your friends that you love them, and let’s all help make 2024 a kinder and happier year for everyone in our lives,” Brady said in the caption.
But then he threw in a little addendum at the end of he caption that certainly raised some eyebrows.
“PS: The only downside to 2023 was when I was about to unretire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand,” Brady said, adding a crying laughing emoji.
There’s a chance this is just a joke to continue feeding the endless unretirement speculation, but it’s certainly interesting considering Brady’s plan to take the year off before beginning his broadcasting career with Fox in 2024.
In any case, a statement like this gives validity to any previous skepticism and fuel to more speculation about his future in the league.