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The Buccaneers conducted training camp in 2022 under unique circumstances, with quarterback Tom Brady at one point leaving in order to spend time with his family. Rumors flew (some of which ended up being true), and a dark cloud hovered over the Bucs for much of the season.
Former Brady teammate in New England and, for 2022, in Tampa Logan Ryan addressed the dynamics in an appearance with Colin Cowherd.
“I think just knowing how he was interacting with his family, his kids, in terms of really wanting to spend time with his kids and be there with his kids, that was a little different,” Ryan said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “Because his kids were older. I think the stuff that was going on off the field and on the field I think was weighing on him a little bit
, as obviously we’re all humans. So I knew that there was going to be some type of break after the season.”
The Buccaneers have low expectations in the first year post-Brady, and they also won’t have the same distractions arising from the issues that created distractions for Brady (and necessarily for the rest of the team) in 2022. That could actually operate as a weight lifted from the organization’s shoulder.
Brady retired after the season ended, and he has insisted that he’s done. He could still feel differently once camps open, or once he’s forced to witness quarterback play that would cause him to say, “These guys suck
.”
Could he come back? “He wouldn’t tell me,” Ryan told Cowherd. (If Brady does play, it would be for the Raiders, given that he’s becoming a part owner of the team.)
Officially, Brady is taking a gap year between playing and broadcasting. But he has shown before a willingness to play the Costanza-esque “I believed it when I said it
” card. Thus, as to whether he’s truly done, I’ll still believe it when i see it.