"When is too long, too long?" - ESPN analyst believes Tom Brady will retire
Tom Brady has spent years hinting at the fact he may play until he is 50 years old. That was easy to do with all the success he has had, including when he won the Super Bowl during the 2020 season.
But his tune has changed after a Divisional Round exit over the weekend. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Los Angeles Rams 30-27 and the legendary quarterback has been mentioning how he has to think about his family and what they want in terms of him playing another season.
His status is a huge topic of conversation in the sports world, and ESPN analyst and former NFL player Marcus Spears made it clear he thinks Brady is done.
"I think [Tom Brady] has [played his last game in the NFL]."
—@mspears96 👀 https://t.co/iePUuDxLSP
"Now you're in that window of when is too long, too long? Because like Jeff Saturday said, at some point this game's gonna get you. Whether it's a knee, whether there's a bad hit, or whether it's something like that. And I'm sure as football players we don't think about that. When we young in our careers or even in year 10, year 11. But Brady is in year what 22...23? And at some point, you got to start kind of putting this thing together and saying to yourself, you know, I've accomplished more than anybody that has ever accomplished in this game."
Spears is right in that Brady does have to decide when enough is enough, because there is not much left to accomplish.
Tom Brady could still retire on top
He had the chance to retire on top after winning the Super Bowl during the 2020 season. But he decided to run it back and ended up playing at an MVP level.
The only problem is that if he retired now, it would not be after winning a title.
But it's important to remember the man known as "the GOAT" already has seven Super Bowl rings to his name. That is historic and it is tough to imagine another quarterback reaching that mark this generation.
What a season it was for Tom Brady 👏
An MVP-caliber season at age 44. https://t.co/AbYI8W8Cuh
As Spears said, the signal-caller has accomplished more than anyone else in the history of the NFL. He has also been playing for over two decades and will be 45 years old at the start of next season.
Chasing an eighth Super Bowl may not be worth it if his family truly wants him to retire and come home. Owning seven Super Bowl rings is likely an untouchable record in the first place.
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