Patriots
Tom Brady could potentially return to the NFL in 2023, according to NFL Network’s Rich Eisen.
Last year, it took Tom Brady all of 40 days to put an end to his retirement and re-join the Buccaneers for his 23rd NFL season.
Could the legendary QB end his second retirement in an even shorter amount of time?
Brady was adamant that he was ending his playing career “for good” back on February 1, but that hasn’t stopped the rumors from swirling around his potential return to the gridiron for the 2023 campaign.
During Monday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Eisen broke down the top-five rumors he heard during the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
The top tea shared around Indianapolis?
“This one just blew my mind: Tom Brady might not be done after all,” Eisen said. “A couple people were just like, ‘Hang on, just you wait.’ And I was like, ‘He’s Instagramming out pictures of his cat.’ But it doesn’t look like he’s getting big and fat, does it? Let it play out. Let’s see who wants what.”
And if Brady believes he still has more left in the tank, Eisen said that he could return to the AFC East.
Just not in Foxborough.
“The one place that folks are saying to keep an eye out for is Miami,” Eisen said. “If the Dolphins, somehow or some way get a doctor’s report or piece of information from a medical evaluation of Tua [Tagovailoa] that he may not be ready to go, and suddenly there’s Tom Brady sitting in Florida, where his family is located and where he can easily locate himself.
“Keep an eye out on that, I was told by a couple birdies at the Combine.”
The Dolphins’ potential interest in Brady should come as no surprise.
An investigation conducted by the NFL found that the Dolphins organization, including owner Jeff Ross, violated the league’s anti-tampering policy three times between 2019 and 2022 due to conducting dialogue with Brady. Some of those conversations were held when Brady was still under contract with the Patriots.
As a result of these violations, the Dolphins were docked two draft picks, including its 2023 first-round selection, while Ross was fined $1.5 million and was suspended through Oct. 17 when the league announced the findings of the investigation on Aug. 2, 2022.
Before Brady announced his second retirement last month, ESPN reported that the Dolphins were not expected to pursue him in free agency — even with the concussion-related concerns with Tua Tagovailoa.
Since hanging up his cleats, Brady has not offered many hints about yet another comeback, even though he will not begin his broadcasting career at FOX until 2024.
Even though the 2022 Buccaneers were marred by offensive inconsistency, Brady was still effective under center in his final pro season. The 45-year-old QB finished third in the NFL last season with 4,694 passing yards, throwing for 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
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