"Is he having second thoughts about playing in 2022?" - Mike Florio suggests Tom Brady may retire again before the Buccaneers season-opener

These days, Tom Brady is just about everywhere you look. The seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will enter his 22nd NFL season and try to get an eighth ring. If he returns to the team, that is.

In an unprecedented move for an NFL player, Brady stepped away from the team, leaving head coach Todd Bowles to assure the media that this was a planned absence.

Bowles also said that the quarterback would return before the regular season opener. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio recently wrote an article that offered several reasons behind Brady’s Absence, including going back into retirement.

Florio asked this pertinent question:

"Is he having second thoughts about playing in 2022? Has Father Time finally caught up with him?"

As per Florio, there is a strong possibility that TB12 is not finding his return satisfying, that "his heart's truly not in it." The NFL analyst also wondered whether the lucrative contract Brady has signed with Fox Sports to be an on-air expert is drawing his mind towards calling it a day again.

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NFL faithful demand answers about Tom Brady's absence

Of course, all of this is speculation is caused by the fact that Tom Brady has not been transparent about his time away from the team up to this point. And though he may want to keep some parts of his life personal, he’s become more relevant than ever in the public eye.

Brady's visibility has increased through social media, TV ads, and appearances at televised charity events like The Match.

As to whether or not Brady will re-enter retirement, anything is possible. If he got out on the practice field and discovered he just didn’t have it in him to play football anymore, he could have taken this time off to consider his best move.

The legendary quarterback might discuss it with his family, or even re-evaluate his own health going into a new football season. Of course, with all the rampant speculation, it would be just like Brady to come back and make everyone eat their words.