Tom Brady was adamant in his retirement on February 1, stating: "I’ll get to the point right away, I’m retiring for good," though ever since that message went out, there have been rumours suggesting he might not be done.
A season of struggle for an injury-hit Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a drubbing in the wildcard round was not the Hollywood ending the seven-time Super Bowl champion had in mind when he reneged on his first retirement announcement in 2022, but his decision was made; time was up.
But how much does the most successful quarterback to ever play the game actually feel without football in his life? Well, there are breadcrumbs to suggest it would be foolish to completely rule out the possibility of a second un-retirement for the 45-year-old.
Speaking at the eMerge Americas technology conference last week, the New England Patriots icon dodged a question about whether he truly was retired "for good". Instead of snuffing out any speculation that he could lace up his cleats again, he gave a peculiar answer talking about "friends on the (Miami) Dolphins".
Brady, of course, is part of the reason why the Dolphins do not have a first-round draft pick this year. The team was punished by the league for tampering after an unauthorised meeting between Brady and Fins owner Stephen Ross on a yacht in 2020.
No smoke without fire, as they say, and with concerns over Tua Tagaovailoa's health after taking a beating over the course of last season, it is not out of the realms of possibility that Brady is suiting up at Hard Rock Stadium at some point this season.
But there is another landing spot that cannot be ruled out after spending the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft: the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders selected Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson, passing up the chance to take their quarterback of the future in Kentucky star Will Levis, he top prospect left on the board.
It is a QB room occupied by two ex-Patriots and former Brady teammates – Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer – and the head coach, of course, is former Pats offensive guru Josh McDaniels, part of the coaching staff for all six of Brady's titles in Foxborough.
Garoppolo is a known commodity heading into his 11th season as a pro. He can be an efficient game manager in the right system, but he is injury prone and there have to be serious durability concerns heading into his first season at Allegiant Stadium. Hoyer, meanwhile, is a commendable backup but he is not leading a team glory.
So, if the Raiders get themselves into playoff contention only for Garoppolo's bad luck to strike again midway through the season, who better for McDaniels to pursue than a player who knows his scheme inside out, and is the greatest to play the game at that?
Brady, it seems, has not completely ruled out the chance of returning. He has hundreds of millions of dollars waiting for him in a broadcasting career with Fox, but the way he dragged the Bucs into the playoffs just a few months ago showed that the competitor in him has not gone anywhere.
Being on a roster in time for Week One in September is a remote possibility, but as the post-season edges closer, the door could creep ajar if the pieces fall into place.
