After two decades of looking nearly invincible, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady finally looked human this season.
The 45-year-old often didn’t look like his old, vintage self, and it was a frustrating year for him both on and off the field.
A piece by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington on what could be next for Brady revealed that he had lost 15 pounds recently.
“But [Tom] Brady also knows his own mental focus was gone for a bulk of the season.
His physical stature, fixed with 15 pounds of weight loss(!!), is also in peril.”
Very real piece from @JeffDarlington on if Brady will continue on, or call it quits ⤵️
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) January 26, 2023
Although he once again led the NFL in passing attempts and completions, his overall performance looked diluted, as he threw 25 touchdown passes and posted a passer rating of 90.7, which is poor by his standards.
The Bucs struggled throughout this season, finishing just 8-9, and most of their struggles came on the offensive side of the football.
Thanks to a frightfully weak NFC South, they managed to make the playoffs, but once there, they got humbled by the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round, 31-14.
Brady had to deal with adversity off the field, as his marriage to model Gisele Bundchen ended, and it seemed to carry over on the field, as he showed many moments of uncharacteristic anger throughout the year.
There has been lots of speculation on whether Brady will retire, stay with the Bucs or possibly join another team.
If he leaves Tampa Bay, the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and perhaps even the New England Patriots, his former team, could all be possible destinations for him.
Retirement is never easy, especially for pro athletes who get a rush out of the competition and camaraderie that sports offer them.
Oftentimes, the same competitive urges that made them great are the thing that causes them to stick around the game too long until they’re a faint shadow of what they used to be.
That could be the type of internal struggle Brady will have to deal with over the next several months as he decides what his future will hold.
