Two years after arriving in Tampa and immediately guiding the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title, Tom Brady is enduring one of his toughest seasons in recent memory. Not only has the 45-year-old quarterback endured tabloid gossip about his life away from football, but he's struggled to consistently elevate an injury-riddled supporting cast during a 3-3 start. Even so, Brady is happily committed to the game, preaching optimism about the rest of the 2022 season and telling reporters Thursday that he won't be hanging up the cleats anytime soon.
"I think anytime you lose, it's not very fun for any of us," Brady said. "So I think we just gotta go play better. I think that's the reality to solving a lot of issues ... I've definitely been a part of seasons where we've not played as well as we're capable; I don't think it's as enjoyable for anyone. ... We're certainly not happy when it's not right. So we're working hard to get it right.
"It's Week 6, we're going into Week 7," Brady continued, "there's a lot of football (left). Our whole season's ahead of us."
Asked about a recent ProFootballTalk debate that included the idea of Brady retiring midseason, the QB was even more emphatic about his positive outlook on the Bucs and his future on the field: "That's really why I'm here: I'm here to announce, finally, you guys pushed me to the brink," he joked. "No, I love the sport and I love the teammates, and I wanna go do a great job for this team like I always have. So, no retirement in my future."
It's unclear if Brady was only referring to rumored retirement in 2022, or beyond this year. Earlier this season, he left the door open for all possibilities when asked if this season would be his last: "I think we're all getting one day older at a time, so, you know, we're all not sure whether we're gonna be here next year or not," Brady said in September. "That's the reality for every player, every coach, every parent. You just never know. So we should all take advantage of the opportunity that we have, which is the one we have in front of us now."
Brady also on Thursday downplayed the notion that offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich's play-calling is a big reason for Tampa's current offensive struggles, instead pinning blame on player execution: "Whether we throw it 50 times or run it 50 times, it's the same thing: whatever's called, we have to do our job to execute it in the best possible way."
