Tom Brady on Retirement: There Will Always Be a Part of Me That Thinks I Can Play

Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady appears to be content with his decision to retire, but he's not stepping away from the game because of diminishing skills.

The 45-year-old said on Monday's episode of his Let's Go! podcast (h/t Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk) that he believes he can still perform at a high level, but he feels this is the right time to call it a career.

"There's always gonna be a part [of me] that wants to play and a part of me that, you know, feels like I can play. I think there's just a decision to know that it's the right time. So I think for me it's more of just, it's gonna end at some point, and I think now's the time. And it's not that I can't do it. It's not that I wouldn't want to do it. It's not that I wouldn't be excited to play. I love playing football. I've loved playing football since I was a kid on the street on Portola Drive. So I think it's just a decision that it's time to do other things."

Brady's efficiency took a step back in his 23rd NFL season, but he still ranked third in the league with 4,694 passing yards while adding 25 touchdowns against just nine interceptions for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that went 8-9 and fell to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round.

The legendary signal-caller had initially retired after the 2021 campaign before changing his mind after less than two months. However, this time he said he intends for his retirement to be permanent.

Brady's co-host Jim Gray reminded him that he once said he would retire when he sucked, but that time hasn't come.

"That's true. I did say that. And I meant it at the time. That was so long ago. I missed a few things in the meantime and certainly just have loved every experience that I've had doing it and doesn't always go right, and I always tell this to my kids a lot, you know, it's not about whether you win or lose, it's about the process of trying to get the most out of yourself. And if you feel like you've done it then there's a lot to be gained from it. And if you feel like you cheated that, then you feel like you've cheated yourself. And I think I've always wanted to maximize my ability as a player and now I get to maximize my ability in life as a person and as a human and as a man and as a father and as a son and as a brother and as a friend and as a teammate to different things going forward. So there's a lot of things to be excited about."

Brady will ease into the next chapter of his life. He said Monday on FS1 with Colin Cowherd that he won't begin his job as an analyst for Fox Sports until the 2024 season.