"Thought there was a fairly good chance he'd finish back out in the Bay Area" - Skip Bayless not surprised Tom Brady decided to return with Buccaneers
Tom Brady announced his retirement following the 2021 NFL season, only to change his mind a few weeks later and return for the 2022 NFL season. While many fans and others around the league were shocked by the news, Skip Bayless was not.
Here's what Skip Bayless had to say to Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed about Brady's unretirement:
"I am a big fat zero surprised because I have been telling you from the start, there is no way he's going to stop now. My only mild surprise is that he's running it back with the Buccaneers because silly me, I thought there was a chance, maybe a fairly good chance, that he would finish back out in the Bay Area in San Mateo where he was born and raised as a Joe Montana 49er fan. And trust me on this, that at least got checked into some, there's back channels going on or he at least tested the water with your Shanahan's that you bled for Mike, and obviously his son Kyle, now the head coach of the 49ers, advised by his father Mike.. you cannot tell me that there was not some communication back and forth just to test the water and see if this time they would be addressing it, because they were not interested the last time which triggered the immortal line."
While Skip Bayless is not surprised that Tom Brady is coming back to play another season, he is a little surprised that it's with the Buccaneers instead of the San Francisco 49ers. It's been well documented that Brady grew up a fan of the 49ers as his hometown team and constantly desired to play for them one day. While it's still possible that he does one day, he will be with the Buccaneers for the 2022 season.
Tom Brady's current contract situation
Even if Tom Brady wanted to play for the 49ers in the 2022 NFL season, it's not exactly up to him. He still has one more year remaining on his contract with the Buccaneers, so he would need to either be released or traded to switch teams.
After the 2022 season, he will become an unrestricted free agent for just the second time in his entire career. At that point, he would be free to sign with any team interested in him.