Tom Brady closed the book on his Hall of Fame NFL career with his second retirement in February, but he recently teased a return to the league … of sorts.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion caught wind of Chad Ochocinco’s suggestion of a “Current vs. Past” Pro Bowl game on ESPN’s ManningCast on Monday night, and Brady apparently already has some ideas about roster building.
Brady retweeted the ManningCast video and said, “With today’s rules? Give me Chad and Randy on the outside and we’re putting up 35 next week."
With todays rules? Give me Chad and Randy on the outside and we’re putting up 35 next week.
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) December 5, 2023
The bunker is no secret Peyton, come get some work in 😂 https://t.co/BTbm69oeWB
In a hypothetical flag football-style Pro Bowl featuring some of the league’s all-time best players, Brady chose Ochocinco and former Pats teammate Randy Moss as his go-to wideouts—and what an offense that would be.
Ever since Brady hung up his cleats in February 2023, he’s mostly stayed out of the limelight and has repeatedly insisted that he’s not coming out of retirement this time. Brady's two former teams, the Patriots and the Buccaneers, have been struggling in his absence. Through 13 weeks, New England has limped to a 2—10 record and sit at the bottom of the AFC East while Tampa Bay, nearly three years removed from its Brady-fueled Super Bowl victory, owns a 5—7 record in the uninspiring NFC South.
A low-stakes, fun-filled football game like the Pro Bowl certainly feels like the most plausible situation in which the Pats legend would step back onto the field.
The ball is in NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's court now.
