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As future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady prepares for life as an NFL broadcaster, sports analyst Bill Simmons believes a potential comeback isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. The seven-time Super Bowl champion called it a career after the 2022 NFL season. Brady captured his seventh title in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After watching Brady 19 seasons with the New England Patriots and three with the Buccaneers, Simmons believes a third team could force Tom to consider coming out of retirement and back onto the field this season, per the Bill Simmons podcast.
“If there’s a team that has a chance to win a Super Bowl and there’s a Heaven Can Wait situation where something happens, I think he would come back,” Simmons said. “I think up until he turns 50 years old, I will always believe there’s a chance he will come back because I think these guys are all wired the same way, boxers, actors, rappers, these dudes that have really achieved great stuff, once that switch gets turned off the only way you stop doing it is if your body is not cooperating anymore. If you feel like literally can’t do it.”
Pointing to Brady’s physique, Simmons believes it’s a slight possibility but still possible.
“He’s in shape because he got super skinny there for a little bit. But, he’s not super skinny anymore,” Simmons added. “I never believe that guys are done unless their body definitely tells them they’re done.”
Tom Brady almost made a comeback with the 49ers in 2023
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s injury in the NFC championship game put him in a precarious position. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan considered bringing in a retired Tom Brady, who grew up in San Mateo, California, 19.5 miles from San Francisco.
For Simmons, if it almost happened last year, it can happen again this season.
“I know that he was ready to comeback for the Niners last year, that was a true story. I’m 100% positive that that happened, and that was less than a year ago; he was like, hey, Shanahan, if anything happens to Brock Purdy, I’m right here,” Simmons said. “That was nine months ago; he would come back if it was the right team.”
But that situation was unique in its own right, as Brady was a fan of the 49ers growing up, and he’d have the weapons that Purdy needed to guide San Francisco to an NFC title.
“Listen, the odds of a quarterback on a top 5 team getting hurt in November or December are pretty low, but it does happen,” Simmons added. “I’m just saying for the rest of the 2020s until he hits 50, I’m not counting him out from coming back, and it’s not a take; I genuinely believe this.”
Brady would be hard-pressed to find a similar situation in 2024, but with the Chiefs having the best odds of repeating as Super Bowl champions (+500), the 49ers (+600) are on their heels, followed by the Ravens (+1000), Lions (+1200), and Eagles (+1200) as potential suitors.
