Tom Brady To Return To Buccaneers For 2022 NFL Season

TAMPA, FL — Tom Brady's retirement didn't last long.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback announced on Twitter he is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 season, walking back his decision to retire just over a month ago.

It will be Brady's 23rd NFL season.

"These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady tweeted Sunday evening. "That time will come. But it's not now."

Considered one of the greatest players of all time by most players, coaches, fans and media members, the 44-year-old Brady has won seven Super Bowls and holds numerous career passing records, including career yards and touchdown passes.

He led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title during the 2020-'21 season, his first with the team, after building a dynasty with head coach Bill Belichick in New England. The pair won six Super Bowls together from 2002 to 2019.

Brady showed no signs of slowing down last season as he led the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes in guiding the Bucs to a 13-4 record, NFC South title and a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wild card playoffs. Tampa Bay narrowly fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round on Matt Gay's game-winning field goal as time expired.

Brady's retirement saga was a short but wild ride. Rumors circulated in the final week of January that Brady was planning on retiring following a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter and a short-lived tweet from Brady's TB12 brand that seemed to confirm the news, only for it to be deleted.

Brady announced his decision to retire in early February in a lengthy social media post, saying he would not be able to commit "all-in" to another NFL season and that it was time to focus his time and energy into other areas of his life.

Little more than a week later, Brady raised a few eyebrows by saying "never say never" to the possibility of returning to the NFL during an appearance on the "Let's Go" podcast.

Fast forward a month, and Brady's retirement had a shorter lifespan than Brett Favre's first and second retirements.

Brady's announcement, which came five days after the Bucs applied the franchise tag to receiver Chris Godwin, had teammates and opposing players buzzing.

Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans let his excitement be known on Twitter with a three-letter acronym that roughly translates to "Let's go!"

"Thank you!" Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey tweeted. "Throw that last touchdown on somebody else." Brady connected with Evans on a 55-yard touchdown over Ramsey late in the fourth quarter of the Bucs' comeback bid against the Rams.

"I didn't bother to say farewell because I had a feeling Tom Brady wasn’t done," Philadelphia Eagles safety Anthony Harris said.

"Wait, was Brady hacked?" Arizona Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones asked.

The news took center stage on one of college basketball's most anticipated evenings, Selection Sunday. Brady's tweet temporarily put a stop to ESPN's analysis of the newly-released bracket for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as Rece Davis announced Brady's reversal.

The announcement also comes at an opportune time for the Buccaneers, as free agents can officially enter negotiations with teams Monday — what's known as the legal tampering period —and can sign contracts at the beginning of the 2022-'23 league year Wednesday.

The Buccaneers have 25 free agents from last year's team, according to Spotrac, including longtime Brady teammate Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement in 2020 to join him in Tampa Bay.

Brady's return wasn't good news for everyone, though. An unidentified man spent over $500,000 at an auction for the ball Brady threw for his last touchdown pass. It probably won't retain that prestigious status once September rolls around.