NFL legend Tom Brady’s leave of absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2022 season may be longer than initially planned.
It was announced last week that the quarterback would take time away from the team amid preseason to ‘deal with personal things’ and would not return until after the team’s second preseason match against the Tennessee Titans on August 20. The 45-year-old’s absence was reportedly planned and was set to last 11 days.
It is unclear why Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP, is taking the excused absence. However, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles insisted it was a plan that had been in place from before preseason training camp began.
On Thursday, Bowles suggested Brady may be away from the team longer when asked about the timeline for his return. Bowles told reporters: “We’ll see. We’ll talk about it next week.
“I’m not concerned about it right now. We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee. There’s no definitive date for me. We’ll keep in touch and find out.” He added: “We just work on our practice with Tennessee. Tom [Brady] is not involved with the coaches.”
Brady, who announced his retirement in February only to later reverse his decision and decide to play, has also signed a deal with Fox Sports to join as lead colour commentator when he eventually walks away from the game. His deal is reportedly worth $375 million over 10 years, making Brady the highest-paid sports commentator in history.
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Brady led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns before announcing his retirement in February. In his absence, the Bucs will turn to backup quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask and Ryan Griffin who shared snaps in practice.
Since swapping the New England Patriots for Tampa Bay in 2020, Brady has been a revelation. He led the Bucs to their second Super Bowl title in his first season in Florida, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in front of their own fans at the Raymond James Stadium.
Brady starred as the Bucs almost came back to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the 2021-22 NFL Playoffs, but the Rams scored a late field goal and went on to win the Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bucs open their regular-season campaign against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11.
