Not ready to say goodbye. Tom Brady has said a lot about his retirement over the years — but he doesn’t plan to hang up his cleats anytime soon.
The NFL star, who played for the New England Patriots for 20 years before becoming a Tampa Bay Buccaneer in May 2020, has often made it clear that he’s not ready to stop playing football, even joking about his retirement in commercials. However, the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl has hinted that he might keep playing until he’s at least 47.
“We’ll see how long it goes,” Brady said in November 2019 when asked if he could stay on the field into his late 40s. “Easier said than done. I know the kind of effort I am putting in right now, but what a great privilege to play a sport that I love.”
While fans are happy to hear the athlete plans to stick around the NFL a little longer, his wife, Gisele Bündchen, would like a little more clarification on the topic — and Brady understands why.
“I think my wife has, you know, held down the house for a long time now, and I think there’s things that she wants to accomplish,” he said during a September 2021 episode of his “Let’s Go” podcast. “You know, she hasn’t worked as much in the last 10, 12 years just raising our family and kind of committing to being in a life in Boston and then moving to Florida.”
The football player and Bündchen tied the knot in 2009 and welcome son Benjamin the same year. In 2012, they welcomed daughter Vivian. Brady, who also shares son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan, has called meeting the Brazilian model the best thing that ever happened to him.
“I think the one phone call that changed my life was my friend Ed, who called me one day and he said, ‘I have this girl and I think you should call her,’” he told WSJ. Magazine in September 2021. “I ended up calling her and it ended up being the love of my life. … She didn’t pick up, actually. I had to leave a voicemail.”
While Brady has played coy on when he’ll say goodbye to his signature sport, he’s always said that spending more time with his family would be his reason for leaving.
However, walking away certainly won’t be easy for the seven-time Super Bowl champion, who’s taken home six trophies with the Patriots and one with the Bucs.
“It’s been a huge part of my life for a long time, and I love thinking about it,” he said during a February 2021 press conference. “I think football to me is much more than just a sport because there’s the physical element, there’s a mental approach, you know, how you’re going to get the job done, and there’s the emotional part.”
Whenever he does decide to go, Bündchen will be right there to support him. Following Brady’s February 2021 Super Bowl win, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life author is “over the moon proud of Tom and his accomplishments thus far.”
Keep scrolling to see what the couple has said about the California native’s future in the NFL: