"Still just thinking" - Tom Brady addresses retirement rumors after crushing loss to Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady's NFL future became the biggest talking point after the team's heartbreaking 30-27 defeat against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL Divisional Round on Sunday night.

The 44-year-old quarterback didn't go down without putting up a fight. Brady pulled off an incredible comeback from 27-3 down, only to lose the game by a mere field goal in the final seconds.

---

Will Tom Brady retire from the NFL?

Before the game, NFL insider Adam Schefter and ESPN's Jeff Darlington dropped the news about Brady possibly taking a month or even longer to evaluate his future once the current season ends. This signaled that the veteran quarterback could finally call it quits after years of speculation around his retirement.

After a crushing defeat to the Rams in the playoffs, Brady said he hasn't put a lot of thought into a decision on what happens next season as his focus was completely on winning this game. He told reporters:

"Haven't put a lot of thought into it still. Just take it day by day and see where we're at at... I was just thinking about winning, that's kind of the mentality I always have when I go out there. Just try to win. Give my team. The best chance to win. I'm still just thinking about this game and not think of anything past five minutes from now."

The NFL MVP favorite added:

"You have to work hard to put yourself in a position to be successful and we certainly worked hard, and every team at this point does."

"Every team is really qualified when you get to the final eight, the final four and the final two. It doesn't feel good to lose any one of those games and I've lost each of those stages. But at the end, it's gonna be one team that's gonna be happy. It feels good to move on when you move on. Whether it was last week or this week, it sucks to lose in the end."

The Rams were cruising to victory with a 27-3 lead in the second half, but it was Brady and co. who managed to tie the game with just seconds to spare. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp stole the show at the Raymond James Stadium with fantastic linkups on multiple occasions.

Rams quarterback Stafford completed back-to-back passes of 20 and 44 yards to in-form wide receiver Kupp to ruin Brady's comeback. The 33-year-old Stafford set up Matt Gay for a 30-yard field goal on the final snap. He also won the quarterback duel by throwing for 366 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady completed 30-of-54 passes for 329 yards with one touchdown.

The Rams will now host the San Francisco 49ers for NFC title at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.