Tom Brady: 'I Wish I Had a Clear Vision of What the Future Holds' After Retirement

Tom Brady has been retired for all of one month, but there has been no shortage of speculation that the veteran quarterback will eventually reverse course and play at some point in the future. 

On Wednesday, Brady offered a vague update on where his head is at when it comes to his retirement:

Brady has done very little to quell the rumors that he might return to playing since his retirement. A week after his retirement, he left the door open for a return during his Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray (h/t ESPN's Jenna Laine):

"I'm just going to take things as they come. I think that's the best way to put it, and I don't think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time, I know that ... I feel very good about my decision. I don't know how I'll feel six months from now."

"I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week. And, again, I think it's not looking to reverse course. I'm definitely not looking to do that. But in the same time, I think you have to be realistic that you never know what challenges there are going to be in life. Again, I loved playing. I'm looking forward to doing things other than playing. That's as honest as I can be with you there."

If Brady does decide to make a comeback, however, it likely will be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Bruce Arians made that clear on Tuesday:

Brady has another year left on his contract with the Bucs, so if he comes out of retirement with the goal of playing for another team, they would have to agree to trade him or release him. For a Bucs team with a roster ready to win now, that feels unlikely. 

They reportedly would welcome him back with open arms, though. Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Feb. 13 that the Bucs "are leaving the door open for Tom Brady in case the legendary quarterback changes his mind on retirement, and sources say they would do whatever is necessary for him to return—a possibility Brady himself isn't completely ruling out."

The 44-year-old had another strong season in 2021, throwing for 5,316 yards (a career-high), 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 67.5 percent of his passes in 17 games. There's little doubt that he can still play. 

It just remains to be seen if he'll do so or if his retirement will actually stick.