"Bad business" - Bruce Arians unwilling to help Tom Brady continue his legacy elsewhere

It appears that Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians is unwilling to help legendary quarterback Tom Brady should the 44-year-old decide to come out of retirement.

Arians recently spoke at the ongoing NFL Scouting combine and was asked if he would accommodate Brady should he choose to come out of retirement. The question was specifically centered around a scenario in which Brady comes out of retirement and asks for a trade. The head coach was definitive in his answer, as he gave a quick "Nope."

“Nope, nope, bad business,” Arians said. “I’m not trading the best quarterback ever.”

With Brady still "tecniqually" tied to the Bucs, if he did make the decision to come out of retirement, it appears he would be playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Could Brady come out of retirement?

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

At the time of writing, there is no reason to think the seven-time Super Bowl champ will come out of retirement. However, he did leave the door for a potential return slightly ajar.

Brady recently spoke on the "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray, which he featured on every Monday during the season. In the show’s episode on February 8th, Brady sent the social media world into overdrive, revealing that he is not completely closed off to the idea of returning to the field in 2022.

"You know, I'm just going to take things as they come. I think that's the best way to put it and I don't think anything -- you know, you never say never." - remarked Brady.

Brady did go on to add that he felt "very good" about his decision at the time, but was unsure about how he would feel six months from now.

"I know that I'm very -- I feel very good about my decision," Brady said. "I don't know how I'll feel six months from now, and if that will change, it most likely won't. But I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week."

With speculation still rife that the seven-time Super Bowl champ could potentially return, the San Francisco 49ers have been touted as the favorites to land Brady. But according to Arians, who was asked by reporters via Rick Stroud, it would take an unprecedented haul to convince the Buccanneers to trade the future Hall of Famer.

“Five No. 1’s.” Bruce Arians on the number of draft picks it would take to lure Tampa Bay into trading Brady.

It is still unclear just exactly what the 15-time Pro-Bowl quarterback will do, however, at the time of writing, he is happily enjoying his retirement with his wife and children.

But like Brady on the Let's Go podcast, "Never say never." Those three words alone are the reason the entire NFL world remains on tenterhooks.