NFL Insider reminds teams only Tom Brady will decide fate of his 2023 season with Gisele Bundchen out of the picture
Depending on how the season ends, Tom Brady may only have three games left in his NFL career. He will finish the year in less than two months at most. Whatever the true length of his season is, the quarterback will be faced with the same question after it concludes: Should he continue playing?
On the Rich Eisen Show, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reminded the NFL world that, unlike in previous years, the decision will be left solely to the quarterback, implying that former wife Gisele Bundchen will have no say in what he does. Here's how the insider put it:
"Does he want to play? His team has obviously struggled. He struggled. He has always promised that when he wasn't good, he would walk away. I will be extremely curious. For his own self reflection. What does he think?"
He continued, outlining that his choice boils down to two modes of thinking with a new degree of freedom:
"Is it 'this offense, It's this team,' or does he think 'I'm 45 and it's time.' I have no idea. I kind of hope he plays. It's fun when he plays. But I'm fascinated by this decision with no one having a more important decision than Tom Brady himself."
Who will Buccaneers-led Tom Brady face in his final games of the year?
At 6-8, the quarterback is still somehow leading the division race in the NFC South. However, the margin isn't comfortable enough that he can lose out and be guaranteed to make the playoffs. At this point in the season, the quarterback has been putting up roughly average production with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Hey everybody. Maybe @TomBrady is happy, and doing exactly what makes him happy - and maybe it’s just that frickin’ simple. https://t.co/xFKu7YeEFG
Having said that, his final schedule will have a big impact on how easy it is to make the playoffs. He faces Colt McCoy and the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas. He will face Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers on January 1st. Then, in Week 18, he'll square off against Desmond Ridder and the Atlanta Falcons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl LVII with a 8-9 regular season record.
Tom Brady’s 8th ring.
Check back with me on February 12, 2023.
Will Brady find a way to finish above .500 and avoid posting his lowest number of wins since entering the NFL? Only time can tell.