Former New England Patriots and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady posted to Facebook to reflect upon the 2021 season. He would not, however, look ahead to 2022, even after acknowledging the intrigue surrounding speculation that he’ll retire this offseason.
“I understand that at this stage in my career, there is going to be interest in my future whenever a season ends, but this week, all that is on my mind is the gratitude I have for this team and the fans that have supported us all year long,” Brady wrote on Tuesday via Facebook.
He added: “I always want to win, I think that’s pretty apparent by now, but that doesn’t mean I equate losing to failure, especially when you go out fighting the way we did.”
The Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFL postseason last weekend. Brady and the Bucs were attempting to defend their victory in last year’s Super Bowl.
Following the game, Brady was noncommital to playing during the 2022 season, and in a later interview with Jim Gray on their podcast, Brady addressed the biggest factor for his retirement considerations: family.
“The biggest difference now that I’m older is I have kids now, too, you know, and I care about them a lot as well,” Brady said on “Let’s Go!” podcast. “They’ve been my biggest supporters. My wife is my biggest supporter. It pains her to see me get hit out there. And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband, and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad.
He added: “ It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family.”
