Buccaneers' Tom Brady Has 'Zero' Regrets About Coming Out of Retirement

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has "zero" regrets about coming out of retirement to rejoin a Tampa Bay team that has struggled through the first half of the 2022 campaign, he told reporters Friday.

Brady said, via ESPN's Jenna Laine:

"I returned because I felt like I wanted to compete and I spoke to the team about it and they were excited to have me back. I don't really regret those types of things—I think when I commit to it, I mean it and I do my best and try to give everything I can to this particular opportunity."

Brady announced his retirement from football in February before unretiring just 40 days later, announcing that he would finish out the remainder of his contract with the Buccaneers in 2023, citing "unfinished business."

However, Brady and the Bucs don't look remotely close to being able to contend for another Super Bowl title. While the team is first in the NFC South, it holds a 4-5 record and has posted abysmal losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.

The 45-year-old added Friday that he thinks the team needs to begin playing with more fire through the second half of the season:

"What can we control? We can certainly control our attitude, our effort. I think everything has been below the line this year—we're 4-5 ... I don't think there's any reason to be happy about anything we've done. Obviously, we're not playing to our standards—we're not there from an effort standpoint, execution standpoint, emotional standpoint. We've got to figure it out—this is a good place to do it."

Brady has put together a respectable season, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,547 yards and 10 touchdowns against one interception through nine games. However, his receiving unit has been somewhat lackluster.

Mike Evans leads the team with 44 catches for 617 yards and three scores on 70 targets, while Chris Godwin ranks second with 42 catches for 404 yards on 65 targets. Russell Gage, Scotty Miller and Breshad Perriman have been mostly ineffective, and Julio Jones has been sidelined for five games due to injury.

Tampa Bay's rushing offense has been even worse. Leonard Fournette has rushed for 405 yards and two scores in nine games, and his backup, Rachaad White, has rushed for just 117 yards and one score.

If the Bucs beat the Seattle Seahawks in Germany on Sunday, they'll be 5-5. Going into the bye week at .500 would be a great way for the team to reset.