Ex-Falcons HC Mike Smith dissects Tom Brady's decision to retire again

Tom Brady retired last season, only to unretire after 40 days, as he felt he had unifinished business. A year later, after the first losing season of his career, he has retired again, this time for good, or so he says.

If anyone understands the rigors of the NFL and staying on top, the winningest coach in Atlanta Falcons history can certainly do so. Mike Smith was effusive in his praise for the quarterback and said that he feels from Brady's body language that his second retirement appears to be final.

While he cautioned that Tom Brady has the freedom to change his mind, it might be time for him to decompress. He will not be lacking job opportunities and compensation, as he already has an analyst job at FOX lined up. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast", he said:

"You can get somebody to check out his body language, like a body language expert to check what he's saying there. But I would he's changed his mind once before. And it'd be up to him to change his mind again. You can't just say you're done and then keep coming back.

I understand why he wants to maybe take time out. It's been a long, wonderful career for Tom Brady. I'm taking the other side of it. Maybe he just wants to decompress. Hey, the Fox money is going to be there. It's not like, it's not like he's gonna have an issue with missing a paycheck, right? And hey, he can apply for unemployment, I believe."

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Coach Mike Smith believes it was mind over body when it came to Tom Brady's retirement

There were those who saw Tom Brady this year who would have seen him still make deep throws downfield. They would have seen someone who could have achieved much more with a better running game and offensive line.

However, as coach Mike Smith pointed out, it's the mental fatigue that often overshadows physical fatigue:

"He's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I'm confident that he will be a very good analyst when he gets in the booth. But it sounds like he wants to take some time to decompress. It's been a long, long career for Tom, and he definitely wears on that body, but it wears on the mind as well; I can assure you that."

As someone who has been in the football business longer than most, Mike Smith is in a better position than anyone to understand the mental toll it takes on individuals.