Buccaneers' Tom Brady on Retirement Rumors: 'I'm Still Going Through the Process'

Tom Brady isn't officially retired yet.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback addressed the proverbial elephant in the room on his SiriusXM podcast Monday (h/t Greg Auman of The Athletic) and said, "I'm still going through the process I said I was going through. ... When the time's right, I'll be ready to make a decision one way or the other."

The all-time great also said he doesn't have a specific timeline, adding: "I'll know when the time is right. ... I'm not going to race to some conclusion on that."

This comes after discussion about whether Brady is retiring dominated headlines Saturday. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported he decided to retire, but Albert Breer of The MMQB noted Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said the quarterback had not informed the team he is calling it quits.

Don Yee, who is Brady's agent, released a statement saying a decision had not yet been made but will come "soon."       

Brady addressed the reports on his podcast, saying he understands "people want to be in front of the news" but he is still evaluating what he hopes will be a "great decision" with his family on a daily basis.

If No. 12 does eventually hang up the cleats this offseason, he will be on the fast track to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the greatest quarterback in league history.

His resume includes seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs, three league MVPs and 15 Pro Bowl selections. He defined an entire generation of football with his legendary performances in the biggest moments, stunning comebacks and ability to defy age with an individual brilliance never previously seen.

Brady showed no signs of slowing down in 2021 even at 44 years old and finished the season completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and six interceptions. Nobody had more passing yards or touchdowns than him this season, and he led the Buccaneers to the NFC South crown.

There remains some question about whether he will retire, but there is no question where he stands in football history.