Bucs' Todd Bowles Knows 'Exactly' When Tom Brady Will Return Despite Past Comments

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles apparently does know when Tom Brady's mysterious absence from the team will end.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Bowles said, "I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I’ve consistently said it would be sometime after the Titans game [Saturday]."

Bowles' comments come one day after he said he wasn't sure when his star quarterback would return.

"We'll see," he told reporters Thursday. "We'll talk about it next week. Not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said, 'Sometime after Tennessee.' There's no definitive date for me. But we'll check on it, we'll keep in touch and we'll find out."

When Brady missed practice Aug. 11, Bowles announced he had an excused absence and wouldn't return until sometime after Saturday's preseason game against the Titans.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted Brady is fine and his absence is for personal, non-football reasons.

This marks the second time Brady has been away from the team to tend to a personal matter. The seven-time Super Bowl champion was excused from practice Aug. 5, but he was back the following day.

Given the lack of information about why Brady is away from the team, online conspiracy theorists have been digging for clues. One idea that came out Friday is that he's filming an appearance as a contestant on The Masked Singer.

Brady missed Tampa's first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 13. After Saturday's contest with the Titans, the Bucs will wrap up their exhibition schedule against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 27.

The Buccaneers open the regular season Sept. 11 with a road game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.