Raiders' Josh McDaniels Believes Tom Brady Is Truly Retired: 'I Think He's at Peace'

Josh McDaniels, who spent 16 years on the New England Patriots' coaching staff working with Tom Brady, believes the seven-time Super Bowl champion is retired for good.

Speaking to NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano, the Las Vegas Raiders head coach said conversations he's had with Brady convinced him he's ready to be done with football.

"I think he's at peace," McDaniels added:

After teasing a retirement last year, Brady said in a video message on Twitter on Feb. 1 that he was retiring "for good" this time.

Despite Brady's statement, there continues to be speculation that he hasn't completely closed the door on playing in 2023.

One rival executive told Albert Breer of The MMQB that there's no doubt Brady is still capable of playing at a high level.

"I think it was probably different for him, in that the weapons around him were not as consistent, really everything around him was not as consistent," the executive said about Brady's support system with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. "And in years past, with New England, he had those situations and still went to the conference championship game. There had to be some decrease somewhere, and that's really where it was, and he wasn't able to make up for it like he used to. But it wasn't the naked-eye stuff. He still threw it really well; his body was still where it needed to be; he moved well in the pocket."

The executive also said a team like the San Francisco 49ers, which has a lot of uncertainty at quarterback with Brock Purdy's elbow surgery being delayed, should at least think about Brady if he gives any indication about returning.

The 2022 season was a struggle for the Buccaneers. They made the playoffs by winning the NFC South, but their 8-9 record made them the sixth team in NFL history to enter the postseason under .500.

It was also the first time in Brady's career as a starting quarterback that his team finished with a losing record. The Bucs lost in the NFC Wild Card round, 31-14, to the Dallas Cowboys.

Brady set NFL records with 490 completions and 733 attempts last season. He finished with 4,694 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Other than Bill Belichick as his head coach for 20 seasons with the Patriots, no other coach has more experience with Brady than McDaniels. The 46-year-old had two different stints with New England from 2001 to '08 and 2012 to '21.

McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator with Brady at quarterback from 2006 to '08 and 2012 to '19. They won six Super Bowls together before Brady signed with the Bucs as a free agent in March 2020.