It’s really no secret: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is one of the greatest players to ever play the sport of football. Whether it’s the numerous records that he’s broken or the fact that he’s won seven Super Bowls, there’s no denying everything that he’s accomplished. The only major question remaining in his career is figuring out when he’ll finally hang up his cleats.
Tom Brady is turning 44 years old in August and will, once again, be the oldest player in the league. Most athletes in general start contemplating retirement as they enter their 30s and more than likely retire by the time they turn 40, but not Brady. Instead, he continues defying time, as made evident by him throwing 4,633 passing yards and 40 touchdowns in the 2020 NFL season. Most younger quarterbacks can’t even do that, which makes it feel like Brady may never retire.
Nevertheless, Father Time is undefeated and Tom Brady will have to retire one day. Bovada is projecting that to happen after the start of the 2022 NFL season at -190 odds. Obviously, this leaves a lot of room for interpretation. On one hand, it could mean that Brady will retire as soon as the 2022 campaign begins. At the same time, it also means that he could retire after the 2022 season is over or even play for another five years, not retiring until he gets closer to 50. For anyone else, that thought would be absurd. But for the Tom Brady? Never say never.
Brady has two years remaining on his contract with the Buccaneers. He’ll have a cap hit of $10.5 million in 2021 and $16.9 million in 2022.
When Will Tom Brady Retire From Football?
Odds via Bovada as of Wednesday, June 30
- After the start of the 2022 NFL season (-190)
- Before the start of the 2022 NFL season (+155)
- Before the end of the 2021 NFL regular season (+1600)
Could Brady Retire After the 2021 Campaign?
At +155 odds, Bovada is saying that the next likeliest retirement situation would be if Tom Brady retired following the upcoming season. It’s already been clear that Brady wants to win another Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, especially considering how they have pretty great odds to accomplish that feat again. However, let’s say that they do win Super Bowl 56 and Brady gets his eighth ring. Could he call it a career on the spot? After all, there’s nothing left for him to accomplish and it’s not often that players get to retire at the top of his game. Yes, he’ll still have a year remaining on his contract, but the Buccaneers and their fans probably wouldn’t complain too much after back-to-back championship runs.
Still, Brady is a professional and may choose to ride out the full length of his deal. If that’s the case, he’d have to play into the 2022 NFL season.
Mid-season Retirement a Long Shot
The most unlikely of scenarios would be if Tom Brady retired during the 2021 NFL season at +1600 odds. While players have announced mid-season retirements before, there’s nothing to indicate that Brady would lean in this direction. He still looked like a top-5 quarterback the last time we saw him play and he doesn’t have a worrying injury history. Even if Brady did have to deal with a mid-season injury, he likely wouldn’t make a decision on his playing future until the offseason. There’s a reason why this scenario is the unlikeliest one, which means don’t expect one of the greatest quarterbacks to retire until he knows that he can have the total spotlight on him.
