This season has been a tough one for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After being legitimate contenders his first two seasons with the team, taking home the Lombardi Trophy in the first season, the Buccaneers aren’t a team striking fear in any opponent this season.

At 7-8, the Buccaneers’ playoff hopes would be dimming if not for being part of the second-worst division in the NFL this season, the NFC South. That record is good enough to be leading the pack as Tampa Bay controls its own destiny. As long as they handle business against the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, they will be hosting a home game during Super Wild Card Weekend.

Alas, there aren’t many people that are expecting the Buccaneers’ season to continue beyond that. They are likely going to be matched up with the Dallas Cowboys in the first round, a team that is looking to exact some revenge on the Buccaneers from their matchup in Week 1 when Tampa Bay easily handled them, 19-3.

With the season nearing an end, a lot of focus will once again be on whether Brady will continue his playing career. He retired during the 2022 offseason, but that lasted only 40 days before he decided to return to the Buccaneers.

While analysts have already been predicting what Brady may do, it isn’t something that he thinks much about. He discussed it with Jim Gray during a recent episode of the Let’s Go! Podcast.

“You know, I think what I really realized last year was you gotta be really sure to do that,” Brady said. “And for me, you know, a lot of people have kind of gone through this situation. I’m going to take my time whenever that time does come.”

Brady also told Gray that the next time he retires, that will be it for him. He will take a little more time to decide his future, making sure that he is making the right call.

Another layer of intrigue to the decision this offseason is that Tom Brady will be a free agent. Not only will he be contemplating whether or not to retire, but he will have a choice of where he wants to play should he opt to continue his career. 

Numerous teams will be on the lookout for quarterback help this offseason and some are well-positioned contenders, such as the San Francisco 49ers. The Tennessee Titans could also be in the market for a new quarterback while returning to the first franchise he called home, the New England Patriots, has also been rumored.