Bucs' Antoine Winfield Jr. on Tom Brady: 'I'm Sure We're Still Reaching Out to Him'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said this week that the Bucs may still be trying to get legendary quarterback Tom Brady to come out of retirement.

During an appearance on the Richard Sherman Podcast (h/t Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio), Winfield said the following about TB12: "I'm sure we're still reaching out to him trying to see if he's trying to come back to the team," Winfield said. "Hey, it could happen. Anything's possible."

After 23 spectacular NFL seasons, Brady retired this offseason at age 45, turning his attention to an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders and a commentary job with Fox beginning in 2024.

After spending 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, Brady signed with the Bucs prior to the 2020 campaign. In his first season in Tampa, Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win, giving him his seventh career ring.

Brady and the Bucs were strong contenders to repeat in 2021, but they were edged out by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, and Brady announced his retirement shortly thereafter.

Tom Terrific's first retirement didn't last long, though, as he reversed course about a month later and announced he would return for a 23rd season in 2022.

That decision didn't yield great results, as the Bucs went just 8-9, marking the first time Brady ever posted a sub-.500 record as a starter in an NFL season.

Tampa did still manage to win the NFC South and reach the playoffs, but it was throttled by the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round.

Brady was also woefully inefficient compared to previous years. He threw for 4,694 yards and was only picked off nine times, but his 25 touchdowns were down from 43 the previous season, and his 6.4 yards per attempt was his lowest since 2002.

Injuries along the offensive line, the retirement of tight end Rob Gronkowski and the lack of a consistent running game all contributed to one of the most disappointing seasons of Brady's career.

While things were far from perfect for the Bucs last season, they don't exactly have the greatest options to replace the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

Journeyman Baker Mayfield and 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask are expected to compete for the starting job during the preseason, and regardless of who comes out on top, the Bucs aren't expected to be anything resembling a Super Bowl contender.

Tampa Bay does still have some solid pieces on both sides of the ball, though, including Winfield, linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David, nose tackle Vita Vea and wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

A revitalized Brady would likely give the Bucs a better chance to win their division than Mayfield or Trask, but it won't matter unless the O-line and running game are fixed.

Additionally, Brady has remained steadfast in insisting he has no interest in returning to the field, saying in June that he was "certain" he would remain retired.

Even if the Bucs are trying to convince Brady to come back, the ball is firmly in his court, and he has given no indication that a 24th NFL season is in his plans.