sport news Is it Super Bowl or Bust for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? trends now
In the end, Tom Brady's retirement lasted just 40 days.
On February 1, the most prestigious name in the NFL called time on his career after a period of reflection following Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat by Los Angeles Rams.
'I have always believed the sport of football is an 'all-in' proposition - if a 100 percent competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,' Brady wrote on his Instagram.
'This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.'
But then on March 13, he unretired with the swagger that has made him the greatest player in the game.
'These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,' he wrote. 'That time will come. But it’s not now.
'I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG (let's f***ing go).'
Tom Brady retired in February but only 40 days later U-turned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The iconic quarterback says he has 'unfinished business' as he targets and eighth Super Bowl
Brady has said an eighth career Super Bowl would be 'the greatest way' to leave the sport
So what changed, in just under six weeks?
'I felt some pressure to do it and talked to the team and organization, and it all worked out,' Brady said to the The Match podcast in early June.
'It’s not that I’m not 100 percent committed, it’s just as soon as I make the commitment to do it, it’s like "Ugh. All right, here we go." It’s like running a marathon. You can’t decide two weeks before the marathon, "Hey, I’m going to start running."
And a couple weeks later, he said he thought he was crazy for making the U-turn.
'I think I'm part crazy. I mean, I think that's the reality," Brady told NFL.com. '45 years old and I'm out here with a lot of young guys that are trying to take my head off. I see Aaron Donald work out on my Instagram, and I'm like, damn, maybe I should've stayed retired because he's a beast.'
Brady joked that seeing Aaron Donald in the gym made him feel 'crazy' for not retiring
Brady, who has turned 45 today, now admits that 2022 might not even be his final season
So now attention turns to the upcoming season, starting with three exhibition games against Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans