It's the final day of the year 2023, but if you're an NFL fan, that means you're partying like it's 1999. Now, what on earth could I possibly mean by that?

The 2023 NFL season has felt slightly abnormal for multiple reasons, but here's one of them… this is the first NFL season since 1999 that Tom Brady hasn't been on an NFL roster. That's right, this is the first NFL season in the 21st Century that the greatest quarterback to ever live has not been in the league. But if you take what Tom Brady wrote in his year-end Instagram post seriously — and let's just be honest, if we're talking only about the “PS,” then you shouldn't — it was only because friends intervened that we didn't see the 46-year-old Brady playing this season.

Looking back on 2023 grateful for every moment. Cherishing the highs, learning from the lows, and looking forward to what’s coming next. I’m blessed to have family and friends filled with so much love, joy, and compassion surrounding me. As you get older, you realize that this is really the only thing that matters, and I’ll never take these people for granted. Hug your kids, call your parents, tell your friends that you love them, and let’s all help make 2024 a kinder and happier year for everyone in our lives ❤️

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(PS: The only downside to 2023 was when I was about to unretire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand 😂)

Knowing what we do about the kind of competitor Tom Brady is, there's probably a sliver of truth to this — I don't think there's a scenario where Brady would've actually returned to the NFL, whether that be with the Patriots or the Buccaneers, but I do believe that the thought of playing football has probably crossed his mind every single day since he retired for the second time. My hope is that when Brady turns 50, a ready-made contender will lose their starting quarterback three weeks before the Playoffs, which would prompt the soon-to-be geriatric quarterback to return to the league to try to capture his 8th Super Bowl ring.