For the last several years, people have waited for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady to retire, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Now that he is nearing the end of his 23rd NFL season, he has hit an incredible, mind-bending milestone.
Tom Brady has officially spent 50% of his lifetime in the NFL 😳
(h/t @BetweenTheNums) pic.twitter.com/g7V9gqTY9w
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 28, 2022
A few people are lucky enough to be with the same employer for half of their lifetime, but it is exceedingly rare for anyone to accomplish that by the time they’re 45 years of age, as Brady is right now.
With seven Super Bowl victories, three league MVP awards and a slew of other accomplishments, most acknowledge him as the greatest player in league history, whether they want to or not.
This season, Brady has finally shown signs of decline, as he has just 21 touchdown passes and an 87.9 passer rating through 15 games, both of which are significantly below his career averages.
Not coincidentally, the Bucs are just 7-8, but because the NFC South is so frightfully weak, they sit in first place in the division, one full game ahead of the rebuilding Carolina Panthers.
What Lies Ahead For Brady?
Since Tampa Bay has virtually no chance of winning it all this season, there has already been speculation on where Brady, who will be a free agent this spring, may be next season.
Could he join the Miami Dolphins, something which was rumored several months ago, especially now that Tua Tagovailoa‘s career may be in jeopardy?
If Tua’s career comes to an end, which he should highly consider, Tom Brady has got to be the favorite to be the starting QB for the Dolphins next season.
— JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) December 27, 2022
Could he play for the New Orleans Saints and lure head coach Sean Payton out of retirement?
With a Pro Football Talk report this week that Tom Brady and Sean Payton could have mutual interest in linking up in New Orleans next season, it's just the beginning of what could be a very interesting offseason for the #Saints 👀 pic.twitter.com/8jyGcbG8EC
— Locked On Sports (@LockedOnNetwork) December 28, 2022
How about the Las Vegas Raiders, which would give him the opportunity to play with Davante Adams?
The media is saying Tom Brady is going to the Raiders next season. You know what? That makes perfect sense. While the rest of the league is moving 100 MPH towards mobile, dual threat QBs, signing a 61 yr old QB who's not even playing as well as the QB we have, is Raiders all day.
— Tyrone Davis (@doubleaction22) December 20, 2022
Or could Brady finally suit up for his hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers, and bring things full circle?
Brock Purdy is a great story, but unless he wins the Super Bowl this season, the 49ers quarterback next season almost certainly will be Tom Brady.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) December 11, 2022
Whatever he chooses to do, if he returns to a high level next year, and even if he wins another Super Bowl, it likely wouldn’t surprise anyone, as the football world long ago stopped being surprised by anything he has accomplished.
NEXT: Fans React To Tom Brady's Message To Antonio Brown