Tom Brady: NFL Scouts Pour Cold Water On Return

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By James Foster | Last updated 4/16/24

Tom Brady and his impact on the game of football is hard to deny at this point, one year on from his (seemingly) final retirement. The 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady was thrust into the starting gig in 2001 when Drew Bledsoe faced significant injuries following a Week 2 game against the New York Jets. And the rest, from there, was history.

Brady went on to seven Super Bowl rings, six with the Patriots, before seemingly retiring in 2021. He was called back into action for 2022, a season wrought with struggles as the future Hall-of-Famer led Tampa to an 8-9 finish and a first-round playoff exit.

Tom Brady retired for real at the end of 2022, and will soon embark on his broadcasting career with FOX as an NFL analyst. Or is he?

Tom Brady Comeback Tour 2.0?

The 46-year-old went on a podcast to convey the feelings that he would absolutely come back to the NFL under the right circumstances. Speaking on the DeepCuts with VicBlends Podcast, Brady offered a glimpse into his mindset and the idea of a potential return:

“I don’t know if they’re gonna let me, if I become an owner of an NFL team, but I don’t know if — I don’t know, I’m always gonna be in good shape, (I’ll) always be able to throw the ball. So to come in for a little bit, like M.J. coming back? I don’t know if they’d let me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

The difference between any Tom Brady return and Michael Jordan’s second comeback is that Jordan was eight years younger than Brady is now.

Scouts Suggest A Tom Brady Return Isn’t Likely

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler appeared on Get Up! to relay information from scouts that should, in theory, all but put any real suggestion of a Brady comeback to sleep.

“I’ve heard minimal traction about this in NFL circles,” Fowler said. “I’ve talked to several scouts who said he didn’t look very motivated two years ago. I know he had some numbers that we’re talking about, but he looked pretty cooked, and looked like he had no interest in taking hits in the pocket. We’re now talking about two years later and he’s ready to suit up?”

In 2022, Brady did face off-the-field struggles which would partially explain the regression he faced, outside of the fact that he was approaching his 45th birthday. Players like George Blanda may have managed to last to nearly their fiftieth birthdays in the NFL, but consider it unlikely that Brady will defy the odds once more and suit up for an NFL club this fall.

Should Tom Brady suit up yet again this fall, he will turn 47 during the season.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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